–Attorney General says
ATTORNEY General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, has called out those who are attempting to misconstrue the Argyle Declaration, noting that Guyana significantly gained from the meeting between President Dr Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro.

The meeting was held on Thursday last at the Argyle International Airport in St Vincent and the Grenadines, resulting in the ‘Argyle Declaration’ where the two states, among other things, agreed not to use force against each other.

In a post on his Facebook page, the AG wrote: “Guyana came away from the Argyle engagement without ceding any of its positions but gaining much. We now have to wait and see whether the commitments made on paper will convert themselves into actions. In the regrettable event they are not, their expression on paper will only serve to solidify Guyana’s position for future engagements.”

He further highlighted the fact that some individuals are taking offence to the terms ‘dispute’ as opposed to ‘controversy’ and ‘territory in dispute,’ in reference to the issue at hand, the AG underscored that “the matter has since evolved.”

While emphasising that the matter is squarely before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for adjudication and the Court has assumed jurisdiction over the matter, Nandlall said that the jurisdiction of a Court of Law is activated only to resolve legal disputes, not controversies.

Addressing the ruffled feathers owing to the terminology, the AG made reference to the judgment handed down by the ICJ when granting the Provisional Measures.

“The Court itself used the term “dispute” and “territory in dispute” seamlessly and interchangeably. Therefore, this objection is one overtaken by events and bears no merit,” he wrote while adding that in an earlier post, he warned many against “reckless speculative pontification” on this matter and then reiterated those admonitions.

Speaking more on the misguided rhetoric being spread, the AG pointed out the several volumes of documents that President Maduro had with him at the meeting and its aim to promote the Bolivarian Republic’s rhetoric.

“Many of those were compilations of public statements made on this matter, critical commentaries on the operations of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) and the several legal proceedings filed in relation thereto – all extracted from the local media,” Nandlall wrote while adding that those are materials which Venezuela is using to boost their narrative.

“Whatever weight is placed upon them, they certainly do not and will not assist Guyana in any form or fashion,” he said, while stressing that, in the future, those who wish to travel the road by making reckless statements, or taking such actions, become alive to the consequential reality.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali, on Thursday, maintained that Guyana will not retreat from its position that the border controversy with Venezuela is properly before the ICJ.
President Ali and President Maduro of Venezuela, have also committed to maintaining a “zone of peace.”

The genesis of the controversy dates back to the 1899 Arbitral Award, a landmark decision that delineated the land boundary between then British Guiana (now Guyana) and Venezuela.
Despite historical arbitration, tensions persisted, leading Guyana to approach the ICJ in 2018, seeking affirmation of the award’s legitimacy.

The ICJ’s provisional measures are binding on the parties involved. Under the UN Charter, all states are solemnly bound to comply with the court’s orders, which can be enforced by the UN Security Council.
The substantive case, which highlights the historical context and the 1899 Arbitral Award, remains before the World Court.

Guyana has reached out to the international community to call attention to Venezuela’s actions that are completely outside the norm of the Rule of Law, and which present a real threat to the peace and security of the Latin American and Caribbean Region.

Guyana enjoys the full, principled and unequivocal support of CARICOM, the Commonwealth and other partners from around the world.