ICJ declares admissible case of Guyana Essequiba

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has declared that it has jurisdiction over the dispute between Venezuela and Guyana over 160,000 square kilometers of territory located west of the Essequibo River. Venezuela had sought to have the case considered “inadmissible” but the ICJ unanimously rejected its arguments. Guyana, meanwhile, had asked the court to reject Venezuela’s preliminary objections and proceed to the substance of the case.

The Court has rejected Venezuela’s claim that the UK has a legal obligation to participate in a dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the region of Essequibo. Guyana had requested that the Court focuses on the validity of a 1899 arbitration award, which Venezuela argued was invalid as the UK, which controlled Guyana at the time, was not a party to the case before the court. Furthermore, Venezuela argued that the ICJ had no jurisdiction to hear Guyana’s case.

In a communiqué , Venezuela celebrates an incidental sentence from the court, because it recognizes the illicit and fraudulent behavior of the United Kingdom and underscores the validity of the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid instrument to resolve the territorial dispute. But make clear that, the country does not recognize the judicial mechanism as a means of resolving the controversy over Essequibo region because it excludes the nature and purpose of the Geneva Agreement.

Guyana and Venezuela are in a territorial dispute over the Essequibo region, with Venezuela claiming around 70% of Guyana’s territory, including offshore oil reserves. The dispute has been ongoing since 1899, and Guyana has requested that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) resolve the issue. However, Venezuela has argued against this, claiming that the original arbitration agreement was null and void due to fraud. Venezuela has also ratified the 57-year-old Geneva Agreement as the only legal framework for resolving the territorial dispute.

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