The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, has expressed concern over the recent enactment of a new legislation in Venezuela for the Defence of the Essequibo region.

Under the new law, Venezuela purports to exercise control over two-thirds of the sovereign territory of Guyana, creating a new Venezuelan state out of Guyana’s Essequibo region.

The Secretary General reminded that in December of last year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued Provisional Measures in the border case before it. The Orders prohibit Venezuela from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the Essequibo, whereby Guyana administers and exercises control the area.

The Commonwealth Secretary General said Venezuela’s latest actions also appear to directly contravene the ICJ Order and the spirit of the Argyle Declaration, where both states agreed to refrain from escalating the conflict.” 

The Commonwealth has affirmed that the ICJ process is the appropriate and lawful means to address the matter under international law.

In a separate statement, the Organization of American States said regional peace and security depend on stopping the Venezuelan regime from advancing its threatening objectives with regard to Guyana’s Essequibo region.

The OAS said International Law condemns the crime of aggression, condemns the threat of aggression, condemns unilateral actions to resolve bilateral problems, condemns non-compliance and violation of current Arbitration Awards and, as an international community, there must be condemnation over the attitudes and intimidation from Venezuela.

According to the OAS, the seriousness of the actions by Venezuela is absolute and unacceptable.

In its statement, CARICOM said in Venezuela’s adoption of “the Organic Law”, it has acted unilaterally, precipitously, and potentially, dangerously, and in the process, it has offended the Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela and has also signaled a possible embrace of an unworthy aggression to achieve its own articulated goals or purposes.

CARICOM said it acknowledges that both Venezuela and Guyana have divergent stances on “the border issues” on all matters consequential to the border controversy, and on the specific modes for their resolution. However, both countries have agreed that the issues and consequential matters are to be resolved peacefully, and in accordance with international law and its relevant mechanisms, inclusive of the Geneva Agreement of 1966.

CARICOM is urging Venezuela to refrain from any further actions that would hinder regional and hemispheric peace and stability, while insisting that dialogue and an adherence to international law are the only viable paths to achieve a just and lasting settlement of the issues-at-hand.

Venezuela has ignored the condemnation from the international community.

Related posts:

UN Security Council to discuss Venezuela’s latest actions to claim Guyana’s Essequibo region Guyana Opposition rejects Venezuela’s new law claiming Essequibo as null, void and of no legal effect Commonwealth, OAS and CARICOM call on Venezuela to respect ICJ’s Ruling on Provisional Measures Venezuelan referendum on Guyana’s Essequibo is contrary to international law -says Commonwealth SG