President Dr. Irfaan Ali reminded Guyanese in a live address from State House on Tuesday at 11:20 p.m. that his government had alerted United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s recent comments about Guyana’s Essequibo area.
According to the President, the international community is also involved, and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is on “full alert” and in contact with its foreign military counterparts, particularly the United States Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM).
Following Maduro’s phoney referendum on December 3 in which he claimed victory over Guyana’s Essequibo area, he showed a redesigned map of his country on Tuesday, which now includes the Essequibo region.
He also directed the formation of new institutions to issue exploration licences for oil, gas, and mining in the Essequibo region, and he advocated the enactment of a new law to construct new environmentally protected areas that may serve as tourism and biodiversity hubs.
In response, President Ali stated that Guyana considers this a “imminent threat” to territorial integrity, noting that none of these actions will be tolerated by the international community and assuring Guyanese that the government will do everything possible to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also stated that the UN Security Council will be kept up to date on the latest developments.
“To my fellow Guyanese, we are here to ensure the safety of this country, the territory of this country, the sovereignty of this country and to protect every citizen,” he stated.
He called Maduro’s latest comments “desperate actions” and warned against doing anything that would jeopardise the region’s peace and stability.
“They have declared themselves an outlaw nation, but nothing they do will prevent Guyana from taking the case to the International Court of Justice.”
“We will not allow our territory to be violated, nor will our territory be violated,” vowed President Ali.
“Let me be very clear: President Maduro’s actions are an open defiance of the ICJ order,” he continued. In my perspective, he is putting the International Court of Justice to the test.
“Reckless actions can only bring instability to this region and can only create more uncertain standards for the Venezuelan people.”
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is presiding over the substantive border matter, decided last Friday that Venezuela must stop from attempting to acquire control of the Essequibo.
An arbitration tribunal defined the border between Guyana and Venezuela 124 years ago, but Venezuela disputed the ruling in 1962, claiming it was faulty. After decades of fruitless talks, the United Nations Secretary General brought the subject to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s main judicial authority.
The court has concluded that it has jurisdiction to hear and decide the matter, but Venezuela has requested a symbolic referendum before the Court can rule.
Guyana sought protection, and the Court concluded Friday that the Essequibo has been regarded as Guyanese territory and managed by Guyana since the 1899 award, and that Venezuela should avoid from interfering with Guyanese sovereignty over the territory.
Despite warnings from regional and international sources of poor voter turnout, Venezuela held its referendum.
Guyana, along with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the Organisation of American States, and the entire international community, insists that the dispute over the validity of the Arbitral Award and the land boundary be resolved by the International Court of Justice, which will ensure a just, peaceful, binding, and permanent solution in accordance with international law.
