Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, has urged Venezuela to uphold Guyana’s territorial integrity.
He claims that Caricom is still unified on this matter. Browne recently made similar remarks as Guyana voiced concerns over what it saw as Venezuela’s most recent attempt to seize Essequibo, a portion of its territory.
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The International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ) is now hearing arguments about regional sovereignty.
Guyana has expressed additional worries in response to remarks made by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on April 3 regarding the implementation of “the Organic Law for the Defense of Guyana Essequibo,” a bill that would permit Venezuela to annex Essequibo.
The Guyana Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stated on the day the establishment of the bill was announced, “This attempt by Venezuela to annex more than two-thirds of Guyana’s sovereign territory and make it part of Venezuela is an egregious violation of the most fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter, the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS) and customary international law.”
Additionally, the ministry stated that the Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace, which both nations committed to on December 14, 2023, is contradicted in letter and spirit by Venezuela’s most recent move.
The Argyle Declaration, which Maduro and Guyana President Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali signed on that day in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), forbade any further escalation of their conflict over Guyana’s Essequibo area and rejected any threat of violence. Both nations decided to submit any incident to Caricom, CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), and Brazil instead of escalating any dispute between them.
In addition, the statement stipulated that Guyana and Venezuela form a joint committee to resolve the Essequibo conflict in three months.
The statement mentioned Venezuela’s denial of the ICJ’s jurisdiction to settle the conflict and Guyana’s support for it. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided on December 1st that Venezuela should not take Essequibo from Guyana.
According to Ali, Venezuela now has the chance to follow Guyana in exhibiting respect for international law and the values that underpin peaceful coexistence in light of the ICJ’s verdict. Additionally, Ali asked all countries that value peace to push Venezuela to uphold the UN and the ICJ.
According to the ministry, “This unlawful act calls into question Venezuela’s obligation to abide by the principles of that declaration.”
In a statement, the ministry stated that Guyana was informing the UN, Caricom, Venezuela, and the OAS that it would not consent to any portion of its sovereign territory being taken, occupied, or annexed. “Guyana has always stood by the principles of the UN Charter, the rule of law, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.”
The ministry highlighted that Guyana and Venezuela were before the ICJ to settle this dispute because of the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
“The ICJ has ruled that it has jurisdiction to decide on the case brought before it by Guyana regarding the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award which definitively settled the land boundary between the two countries.”
The government declared that Guyana and Venezuela would have to abide by the court’s ruling, which would be definitive. The ministry went on to say that if Venezuela wanted to dispute ownership of the Essequibo area, the ICJ was the appropriate court to resolve the matter. “objectively and according to the law.”
Furthermore, the ministry stated that Maduro’s remarks on April 3 had not been overlooked.
“It is unfortunate that the commitment made at Argyle to ‘the pursuance of good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean’ is now again seriously threatened by President Maduro’s words and action today.”
Government representatives in Guyana stated on April 4, 2024, that they could not say further at this time.
When contacted for a statement Brown told the press that, “T&T’s consistent position calls for full respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and respect for international law and process in the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
The minister further mentioned, “Caricom speaks with one voice on the issue related to the Guyana-Venezuela border and our regional family remains united.”
Caricom has called on Venezuela to uphold the territorial integrity of Guyana in all of its remarks on this subject so far.
The Argyle Declaration was endorsed by Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr. Amery Browne, who also happens to be the Prime Minister, last December. They said that as a member of Caricom, T&T was dedicated to maintaining the Caribbean’s status as a peaceful region.
As T&T Prime Minister Dr. Rowley put it, “We are not going to be stoking any fires, but we also will ensure that we take the position to all our partners and neighbors that this region is better off and should always be a zone of peace.”
On Thursday, there was no indication of Caricom’s official stance regarding the most recent tensions between Venezuela and Guyana.
On April 3, Maduro remarked in a post on X formerly known as Twitter, “The decision of December 3 (2023 referendum) has now become a law of the republic, to form part of the legal structure of the internal political and institutional movement of our country.”
Maduro continued, “Today we receive a law ratified in its organic nature by the TSJ (Venezuela’s Tribunal Supremo de Justicia- Supreme Tribunal of Justice; and with the power given to me by the constitution, the decision made by the Venezuelans in the consultative referendum will be fulfilled in all its parts, and with this law, we will continue the defense of Venezuela on international stages.”
