The Bolivarian Government of Venezuela has categorically rejected the communique issued by the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) pronouncement regarding what Venezuelans refer to as Guyana’s unusual request for provisional measures against their December 3 consultative referendum.
The International Court of Justice issued the following preliminary measures:
In the absence of a final resolution in the matter, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action that might alter the current status in the territory in issue, which the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and controls.
Both parties must refrain from taking any action that could worsen or prolong the issue in front of the court, or make it more difficult to resolve.
CARICOM stated on Friday that the International Court of Justice ordered Venezuela not to take any action that would challenge, disrupt, or interfere with Guyana’s longstanding control and administration of the Essequibo Region, which accounts for more than two-thirds of Guyana’s land territory, until the Court issued its final judgement on which State has sovereignty over that territory.
CARICOM stated that it anticipated Venezuela to uphold the ICJ’s Order of December 1, 2023, and that Venezuela complies with international law and the United Nations Charter in all aspects, and that it will not take any acts in contravention of them.
Venezuela, on the other hand, accuses CARICOM of ignoring the fact that the International Court of Justice unanimously rejected Guyana’s attempt to limit Venezuelans’ political rights and block the conduct of the referendum called by the Venezuelan National Assembly.
“It is astonishing that the aforementioned Secretariat juggles to avoid referring to the Court’s clear call to the government of Guyana to cease the deliberate actions that aggravate the situation, among which we can mention the involvement of the United States Southern Command and the granting of concessions in a yet to be demarcated maritime area, which has generated a situation that threatens the peace and stability of the Caribbean region,” the Venezuelan government said.
In the statement, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela calls on CARICOM partners to return to good judgement and objectivity.
