Guyana has rejected Venezuela’s call to resolve its border dispute outside of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, issued the refusal Wednesday, after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro requested that he and Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali meet to resolve the border dispute.
“I am ready to meet with you very quickly, at the location of our choice in the Caribbean… to resume peace negotiations and put an end to these threats,” Maduro declared last weekend in his weekly broadcast.
Venezuelans have long claimed ownership of 160,000 square kilometers of Guyana’s internationally recognized territory.
According to Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana thinks that the best way to resolve the dispute is via the methods outlined in the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
“Guyana will not agree to any procedure that contradicts the express provisions of the Geneva Agreement and bypasses the Court, which is the only means of settlement that is now authorised by Article IV of that Agreement,” she said.
The envoy also chastised Venezuela’s Foreign Minister, Yvan Gil Pinto, for promoting “falsehoods” during his presentation during the UN General Assembly Debate on Saturday.
Guyana, according to Gil Pinto, engaged in “illegal conduct” when it gave oil concessions in the disputed seas.
According to the minister, Guyana is becoming a US puppet, and Venezuela is apprehensive that the US Southern Command may establish a military post in the disputed region.
