–President Ali affirms; says any threat to nation’s territorial integrity will be taken seriously
–underscores investments in military, partnerships with allies geared towards enhancing country’s defence capabilities

MAINTAINING that all developments are being done within Guyana’s territory, President, Dr Irfaan Ali, has reassured investors that they need not worry because it is clear where Guyana’s borders are.
During an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, the President again rejected the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s spurious claim over Guyana’s territory.

According to Dr Ali: “…The greatest assurance that we can offer is that Guyana is sure of its territorial integrity, we are sure of our borders and in 1899, our borders were settled. Venezuela participated in the settlement of those borders. So, there is absolutely no doubt as to where our borders are.”

He then went on to reflect on why Guyana’s Spanish-speaking neighbour ignited this controversy. It was decades ago when Guyana was about to attain independence.
However, Dr Ali further reminded Bloomberg that the matter is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and Guyana has fully submitted itself to international law.

“We are a country that respects the rule of law. We are a country that abides by international law and that is why we respectfully, ask Venezuela to participate and be a responsible member of the international community and to respect the outcome of the ICJ.

“But we are very sure of our case, we are very sure of our borders and investors need not to worry because their investments are clearly in the territorial space of Guyana,” the Guyanese Head of State said.
Although the interviewer attempted to solely focus on Guyana’s collaboration with the United States (US), Dr Ali stated that the nation is partnering with many countries, not just the US.

He said: “So, we are working with not only the US State Department, we are working with many of our regional and international partners, for a matter of fact, in the region itself, CARICOM has reiterated its support for Guyana, its respect for Guyana’s territorial integrity and also called upon Venezuela to participate in the ICJ process and to respect the outcome of that process.”

He added: “ So too has our neighbour Brazil; France, Canada, the UK, the US, most of the international community has and is in support of Guyana knowing the fundamental facts and the truth and that is our borders were settled [with] the 1899 Arbitral Award.”

In response to a question on whether Guyana is working on building up its own defence capabilities, the Guyanese Head-of-State said that measures are being explored to modernise the nation’s military.

Dr Ali related: “So, we are doing a few things. One, we are investing in the modernisation of our military, in the advancement and use of technology in the building up of our human capacity, our infrastructure. But more importantly, we are working closely with our allies.”

The President also said that there are many training exercises being conducted with its international partners.
“So, it is not only what exists within the country; it is also our work that we are doing in[the] international community and our partnership with our allies and friends,” he further said.

Despite another interviewer stating that the US has posited that the military movement on the border with Guyana is very small in nature, size, scale and scope, President Ali remarked that any threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity will be taken seriously.

Dr Ali remarked: “We believe that, any threat to our territorial integrity, any threat on our borders must be taken seriously. And that is what we are doing. We are taking this very seriously.”

He then stated that Guyana is working with Venezuela now and through CARICOM to ensure that the situation does not escalate, because Guyana’s primary focus is to ensure that the region remains stable and the region remains peaceful. This is also reinforced by the Argyle Declaration agreed upon by Venezuela and Guyana, following a meeting between both nations’ Presidents brokered by CARICOM, CELAC, and Brazil.

“Our primary focus is to ensure we do everything to promote that stability and peace within the region. But, in our assessment, there’s a lot of assessment on Venezuela and their capacity and capability and what is driving this claim. But for us, it is a threat and we are taking it seriously and we are ensuring that we do everything to secure and protect the territorial space of Guyana,” Dr Ali said.

In 2018, Guyana took a decisive step by approaching the ICJ seeking affirmation of the award’s legitimacy.
Venezuela, taking a defiant stance, initially claimed that the ICJ lacked jurisdiction, a contention flatly rejected by the World Court in a crucial ruling in December 2020. The door was thus opened for the ICJ to delve into the merits of the substantive case.
The substantive case which highlights the historical context and the 1899 Arbitral Award, remains before the World Court.