–Guyana welcomes, supports Venezuela’s participation in ICJ process
–President Ali says, as western neighbour makes submission to court in border case

PRESIDENT Dr. Irfaan Ali has once again reiterated Guyana’s call for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing border controversy, welcoming Venezuela’s submission of its counter-memorial on the merits of the case concerning the 1899 Arbitral Award at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The Guyanese Head of State, during a live broadcast statement on Facebook, maintained that the country will respect the rule of international law and urged Venezuela to do the same.

“This is what Guyana has been calling for and I hope that Venezuela will continue to engage fully in the process before the International Court of Justice,” he said, adding: “The court’s final decision will ensure a resolution that is peaceful, equitable and in accordance with international law.”

Now that Venezuela has submitted its counter-memorial on its questions of the 1899 Arbitral Award—a legally binding agreement that established the first and only accepted boundary between Spanish-speaking Venezuela and Guyana— the court will move forward in the process of making a judgment.

President Ali noted that Guyana will abide by the court’s ruling.
“Both parties are bound to accept the court’s judgment in this matter,” the Guyanese Head of State said.
However, Venezuela continues to make “unfounded” statements regarding Guyana’s development of its own resources.

Responding directly to those statements, Dr. Ali said: “As a sovereign nation, we are beholden to no state or private entity in how we conduct our domestic or foreign policy, including our relation with other states.”
He further reiterated the country’s stance to fully support the rulings of the court and promote a peaceful and stable region in which both the citizens of Guyana and Venezuela could coexist.

Recently, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro made a move to enact legislation in the Bolivarian Republic to assert its claims to Guyana’s Essequibo region.
Maduro’s latest action is a clear violation of the Argyle Declaration – an 11-point agreement that addresses matters consequential to the border controversy, including the fact that Guyana stands firm to its position that the substantial case is before the ICJ.

President Ali said that Guyana is monitoring every statement and action taken by Venezuela. Once again, both regional and international stakeholders are rallying behind Guyana.
Back in December 2023, Presidents Ali and Maduro met in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The meeting was facilitated by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, and observed by Brazil, CARICOM, and a UN Under-Secretary-General.

That meeting culminated with the Argyle Declaration that outlines a pledge from both countries to refrain from escalating the decades-old border controversy between the two states.
The two leaders had also interacted at the recent VII summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where they exchanged tokens.

The genesis of the border controversy goes back to the 1899 Arbitral Award, a landmark decision that delineated the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.
Despite the historic arbitration, tensions have persisted, with Venezuela repeatedly challenging the validity of the award.
In 2018, Guyana took a decisive step by approaching the ICJ seeking affirmation of the award’s legitimacy.

Venezuela 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.