President Irfaan Ali addressed the United Nations General Assembly this afternoon and made it known that Guyana will continue to bank on International Law for the peaceful resolution of the border controversy with neighbouring Venezuela.

The President told other world leaders gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York that Venezuela has been a threat to Guyana since its independence, even as Guyana has always maintained that the controversy must be settled peacefully.

“International law and its strict application have been our armour and our shield in our determination to protect ourselves from this aggression. We remind this august Assembly that the border between Guyana and Venezuela was fully, finally and perfectly settled in an 1899 award by an international tribunal. Venezuela was fully represented in that tribunal whose award it proclaimed in its own Congress and welcomed for more than six decades, before reopening the issue on the eve of Guyana’s independence, claiming two-thirds of our territory,” the President said.

The border controversy was submitted by Guyana to the International Court of Justice (the ICJ) in accordance with a decision of the United Nations Secretary General for a final settlement.

Venezuela has been trying to get Guyana to discontinue the case before the International Court, but Guyana has maintained that the border case is properly before the International Court, and that is where it will remain until a judgement is handed down.

Venezuela has said it prefers the matter to be settled through dialogue although that method did not work for decades.

During the entire period of the existence of the Geneva Agreement, there have been several tools utilized which include four (4) years (1966 -1970) of meetings through a Mixed Commission involving bilateral talks between Guyana and Venezuela, a twelve (12) year moratorium followed by twenty-eight (28) years (1989 – 2017) of the Good Offices Process under the aegis of the United Nations Secretary General.

The President told the Assembly that he was happy that Venezuela has joined the case before the ICJ.

“After years of refusing to participate in the proceedings of the ICJ and stating that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the Court, the Venezuelan government has now submitted a counter memorial to Guyana’s submission. We welcome Venezuela’s decision to participate in the Court’s proceedings, and express the hope that Venezuela will accept the decision of the Court, as Guyana has long pledged to do. I reaffirm Guyana’s unwavering commitment to a peaceful resolution of this long-standing controversy in full conformity with international law and the principles set forth in the United Nations Charter,” the President told the Assembly. 

The President also used is address to call for the end of the war in Gaza and for there to be a lifting of the trade embargo on Cuba.

Related posts:

Guyana has placed its faith in the ICJ on border controversy with Venezuela-Foreign Minister tells UN BREAKING: Venezuela will not participate in International Court Case on border controversy with Guyana BREAKING: Settlement of Guyana/Venezuela border controversy to go to International Court President to press UN to ensure speedy resolution of Guyana’s border controversy with Venezuela