Guyana stands on principles and the right side of the law against Venezuela -Foreign Minister Todd

By Svetlana Marshall

Describing Venezuela as a “tyrant” and the only country that is threatening the peace of the region, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd opened the Extraordinary Sitting of the National Assembly on the border issue this morning, by asserting the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.

Minister Todd said Guyana continues to stand on principles and the right side of the law, while Venezuela continues to threaten the peace of the region.

“This is a zone of peace Mr Speaker. This is an era of peace and stability. Venezuela has to stop. Venezuela has to recognize that we need to move forward, in moving this region as one, as a zone of peace, and Venezuela is the only country in this region Mr Speaker, who is threatening that peace, and that must not happen, not now, not ever,” Minister Todd said.

The sitting was attended by Member of the Diplomatic Community along with the Top Brass of the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force.

The Extraordinary Sitting of the Guyana National Assembly, follows the build up of Venezuelan military troops in areas close to the Guyana border, and the country’s planned referendum which it wants to use to bolster its claim of Guyana’s Essequibo region.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs told the National Assembly that greed is leading Venezuela’s claims. He said Venezuela’s political leadership is devoid of any commitment to Treaties and respect for territorial integrity.

He said while international law stipulates that agreed or established boundaries are sacrosanct, and permanent, Venezuela has continued on a path that is in direct confrontation with the fundamental principle.

“The boundary between Guyana and Venezuela was established by the Arbitral Award of the 3^rd of October, 1899. The Arbitral Award that was empanelled pursuant to the Treaty of Washington on the 2^nd of February 1897 consisting of prominent jurists from the United Kingdom, the United States Supreme Court and Russia, unanimously agreed on the present -day land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela, consistent with the old aged principle regarding the sanctity of boundaries. Article 13 of the Treaty of Washington obligated the parties to “consider the result of the proceeds of the tribunal of arbitration, as a full, permanent, perfect and final settlement of all questions referred to the arbitrators,” Minister Todd said as he detailed facts of the matter.

It was noted that for 63 years, Venezuela accepted the Award of 1899, as a full perfect and final settlement including by the act of ratification of the award within its congress.

“Mr Speaker, Venezuela attained 751,640 square kilometres from that award; in square miles that’s 358,841 square miles, that’s more than four times the size of Guyana. That is what they got in the award. Guyana got 83,000 square miles or 214,969 square kilometres. Mr Speaker, the facts are here. Venezuela, was content with what they wanted because they felt that if they got the Orinoco, it was satisfactory to them; it was a victory; they got all that they had bargained for. Therefore, Mr Speaker, in contemporary political economy, it is unbelievable and inconceivable that Venezuela would want to try to fool the rest of the world that it has legitimate rights to Guyana’s territory. This will not stand!” Minister Todd said.

He said notwithstanding its attempts to nullify the 1899 Award, Venezuela has been unable to justify its claims or show proof that the award is invalid.

“Guyana has consistently requested successive governments of Venezuela to do three things Mr Speaker, three things. One, prove the basis of the contention that the Award of 1899 is null and void. Two, identify any provision in the Geneva Agreement that states that Guyana is precluded from developing the Essequibo. Three, identify, the article in that Agreement that states that the Arbitral Award of 1899 is superseded by the Geneva Agreement. Mr Speaker, Venezuela has never been able to do so, and they will never be able to do so because they are on the wrong side of history,” Minister Todd told the House.

The Foreign Minister said from the establishment of the Geneva Agreement in 1966 to the Good Offices Process from 1990 to 2017, Guyana has been more than patient with Venezuela notwithstanding its increasing acts of aggression.

With the matter now before the International Court of Justice, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said Guyana intends to see the case though to its logical conclusion in the ICJ, despite the threats from Venezuela.

“We will not be afraid”, the Minister made clear.