Guyana and Venezuela return to UN court to settle historic dispute over valuable border region
Guyana says the dispute covers 70% of its territory as Venezuela challenges the 1899 border ruling before the court.
- On Monday, Guyana told the International Court of Justice that more than 70% of its territory is at stake in the Essequibo border dispute, with weeklong public hearings beginning today in The Hague.
- Venezuela argues the 1966 Geneva Agreement nullified an 1899 arbitration decision that drew the border along the Essequibo River, contending the original boundary settlement was skewed in Guyana's favor.
- Guyana Foreign Minister Hugh Hilton Todd told judges the dispute "has been a blight on our existence as a sovereign state from the very beginning," while legal counsel Pierre d'Argent called Venezuela's arguments "lengthy, pointlessly controversial and confusing."
- Despite rejecting the ICJ's jurisdiction, Venezuela is participating in the weeklong proceedings; the court will hear opening statements from the Venezuelan delegation on Wednesday before Guyana responds Friday.
- A final ICJ ruling could determine political control over the resource-rich Essequibo region and its estimated more than 11 billion barrels of offshore oil, though Venezuela maintains the 1966 agreement remains the only valid legal framework.
38 Articles
38 Articles
ICJ opens oral hearings as Guyana asks court to affirm century-old boundary with Venezuela
The International Court of Justice opened oral hearings Monday on the merits of a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region, with Guyana asking the court to declare that Venezuela has no legitimate claim to the oil-rich territory that constitutes some two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass. The hearings, scheduled to run from May 4-11 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, mark the most consequential phase yet in a case Guya…
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) began on Monday the oral hearings on the historic territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over the Esequibo region, a territory of approximately 160,000 km2 rich in natural resources and potentially oil. During the first day, on May 4, Guyana asked the judges to rule that Venezuela has no legitimate right over the area and to ratify the validity of the Arbitral Award of 1899, which assigned the t…
The International Court of Justice in The Hague began examining, on Monday morning, 4 May, the dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over Essequibo. The trial will take a week to determine who owns this oil-rich region.
Associated Press News
Guyana and Venezuela return to UN court to settle historic dispute over valuable border region
Guyana has argued at the International Court of Justice that 70% of its territory is at stake in a historic border dispute with Venezuela over a swath of jungle that is rich in resources.
Venezuela to Participate in International Court of Justice Hearing on Essequibo Territory
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuela announced on Saturday, May 2, that it will participate in the hearings regarding the Essequibo territory at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) beginning Monday, May 4. Foreign Minister Yván Gil announced that while Venezuela will attend the proceedings, this does not imply Venezuela’s recognition of the ICJ’s jurisdiction over the territorial dispute. The hearings stem from a process unilaterally invo…
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