–National Assembly passes resolution denouncing Venezuela’s threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity

THE National Assembly on Friday stood firm and passed a motion which reaffirmed, unequivocally, Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amidst the ongoing threats by neighbouring Venezuela.

The motion, which was presented during the 104th sitting of the twelfth Parliament by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, called for a resolution that the House express its full support for the Government of Guyana in its efforts to protect and defend Guyana’s territorial integrity through peaceful and lawful means, including continued recourse to the International Court of Justice.

According to Todd, the motion reaffirms Guyana’s position and commitment to peace and the defence of national sovereignty.

Against this backdrop, while the matter is currently before the International Court of Justice, the Foreign Affairs Minister noted that Guyana continues to address this matter at the diplomatic level.

With this, he said that Guyana has used every United Nations General Assembly since 2020 to reaffirm its position on the controversy, even as they continue to engage the Caribbean Community, the Organisation of American States, the Commonwealth and bilateral partners.

All of these partners, he noted, have issued strong statements supporting Guyana’s sovereignty, and the International Court of Justice process.

Todd indicated that the most recent violation of the ICJ process was Venezuela’s rejection of its order, and announcing that it would conduct an election in Guyana’s territory.

Despite Guyana’s protest, he said Venezuela has scheduled elections for May 25, 2025.

However, in response to Venezuela’s announced plans and actions, Guyana filed a new request for provisional measures with the ICJ which sought an order prohibiting Venezuela from carrying out elections for Guyana’s sovereign territory.

On May 1, 2025, Todd told the National Assembly that the ICJ issued an order that unanimously reaffirmed the provisional measures indicated in its December 1, 2023 order, and, by a vote of 12 to three, indicated several provisional measures.

Among these provisional measures was, pending the final decision in the case, Venezuela shall refrain from conducting elections or preparing to conduct elections in the territory of the state, which Guyana currently administers and exercises control.

Against this backdrop, the Foreign Affairs Minister took time to address critical points from this order.

He affirmed that the three judges’ votes against provisional measures were not votes against Guyana.

“In their dissenting opinion, the judges pointed out that they voted against the provisional measure only for a procedural reason; they indicated that they agree in substance that Venezuela must refrain from conducting election for our territory. The procedural reason is that the judges felt that the order of December 1, 2023 already prohibits the actions that are planned by Venezuela, and that, accordingly, there is no need for an additional order,” Todd remarked.

However, he noted that 12 judges agreed that the existing order prohibited Venezuela’s planned actions, but voted for an additional order, which he stressed brought even more relevance and importance to the matter before the court.

Meanwhile, Todd noted that while Venezuela has rejected this order, Guyana’s intelligence is that there is currently no physical activity taking place in any of Guyana’s communities close to the border.

He said, “Our intelligence is that there is currently no physical activity taking place in any of our communities close to the border, or suggest that there’s any preparation for election to be conducted in our Essequibo… It is important for Venezuela to understand that Guyana will not be bullied, threatened, or intimidated to surrender any portion of our patrimony.”

Meanwhile, also presenting on the motion was Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, who noted that there is a need for unity on such an important matter as this.

He said: “As a people, as a country, we must urge Venezuela’s current government to respect the ICJ. The ICJ remains an impartial and reputable institution and is well equipped to objectively assess the situation and ensure a fair resolution. We maintain our trust in the rule of law and have confidence that the ICJ will uphold the principle of justice and respect for sovereignty.”

PUBLIC AWARENESS

With this, he noted that the government has heightened its public awareness campaign, which ensures that all Guyanese, including children, understand the seriousness of the situation and the country’s stance.

Further affirming support for the motion, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn said that the Joint Services remain alert as information is filtered each day, and they are in the know.

The motion was later passed and affirmed by the Government in the National Assembly, and enjoyed the support of Deputy Speaker and Opposition MP, Asha Kissoon, while other members of the opposition boycotted the critical bill.

On May 1, 2025, the ICJ ordered the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to refrain from holding or preparing for any elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region, pending a final ruling on the ongoing border controversy.

The decision came in response to a request by Guyana following Venezuela’s January 2025 announcement of plans to elect a governor and legislative council for what it claims to be the “Guayana Esequiba State”.

In its ruling, the World Court reaffirmed the provisional measures granted on December 1, 2023, and introduced a new, binding directive.

The court, in its December 1, 2023 order, stated: “Pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute for which the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area; and both parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the court or make it more difficult to resolve.”

The new measure explicitly states that, pending a final decision, Venezuela “shall refrain from conducting elections, or preparing to conduct elections, in the territory in dispute, which the Co-operative Republic of Guyana currently administers and over which it exercises control.”

This latest directive was adopted by 12 votes to three by the judges of the ICJ in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The December 2023 order had already instructed Venezuela to avoid taking any actions that would alter the status quo of the territory under Guyana’s control, and called on both nations to refrain from aggravating the situation.