— Government reaffirms Essequibo belongs to Guyana

The Government of Guyana has called on Venezuela to “act responsibly” and comply fully with the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which prohibits Caracas from conducting elections in the Guyana’s Essequibo region.

In the official release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Guyana called on Venezuela to comply with the binding Orders issued by the ICJ on December 1, 2023, and May 1, 2025.

The Orders direct Venezuela to refrain from taking any steps such as elections to assert authority over the territory, which the Court confirmed is administered and controlled by Guyana.

The latest ICJ Order came after Venezuela announced in plans to hold elections for a so-called “Guayana Esequiba State,” a term used by Venezuela to refer to Guyana’s Essequibo region.

“The Government of Guyana expects that the Government of Venezuela will act responsibly… and fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana,” the statement said.

Guyana also reiterated that it will not enter into bilateral negotiations with Venezuela over the territory, emphasizing that the matter is already before the International Court of Justice.

That case concerning Venezuela’s rejection of the 1899 Arbitral Award which defined the boundary was referred to the ICJ by the United Nations Secretary-General, in line with the 1966 Geneva Agreement.

Guyana further called on Venezuela to move beyond “lip service” to the Geneva Agreement and to comply with its terms, particularly Article IV(2), which recognizes the role of the ICJ in settling the controversy.

“The Court’s judgment will be definitive, final and binding on Guyana and Venezuela,” the statement read.

The Ministry’s response comes just one day after the ICJ ruled 12–3 in favour of Guyana’s request for provisional measures to prevent Venezuela from organizing any elections in the contested region, reaffirming Guyana’s stance that the Essequibo is sovereign Guyanese territory.