“Venezuela rejects the decision taken by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Essequibo territory jurisdiction in the case of the unilateral claim of the Cooperatives Republic of Guyana against Venezuela, an action that doesn’t comply with 1966 Geneva Agreements ″, reiterated this Friday the Minister for Foreign Relations, Jorge Arreaza.
Through an official statement, the Venezuela Foreign Minister, Jorge Arreaza, made the national and international community aware of the position of the Venezuelan State on the ICJ decision, read in audience through a video conference on December 18, 2020, on relation to the unilateral claim filed by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela regarding the validity of the Arbitration Award of 1899.
“The Geneva Agreements are the only current bilateral general restrictive norm, applicable to settle, through friendly negotiations, the territorial controversy. The foregoing denies the judicial route, incapable of reaching the practical and satisfactory settlement that this Treaty imposes on both parties. In this sense, Venezuela has been and is willing to commit itself to these friendly negotiations to reach a mutually satisfactory settlement, ”the statement said.
In this regard, it stated that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela repudiates the ruling issued by the ICJ in the aforementioned terms, while claiming, once again, the validity of the 1966 Geneva Agreement and ratifying that it will continue to exercise its just claim, taking into account the grotesque fraud that the Arbitration Award of 1899 implied to the detriment of its territorial integrity.
Read the full statement here:
Venezuela rejects decision of the International Court of Justice contrary to the spirit of the Geneva Agreement on Guayana Esequiba
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has been made aware of the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), read in a hearing by video conference on December 18, 2020, in relation to the unilateral claim filed by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on the validity of the Arbitration Award of 1899.
In this regard, the following is reported to the national and international community:
The Geneva Agreement is the only restrictive bilateral rule in force, applicable to settle, through friendly negotiations, the territorial dispute. The foregoing denies the judicial route, incapable of reaching the practical and satisfactory settlement that this Treaty imposes on both parties. In this sense, Venezuela has been and is willing to engage in these friendly negotiations to reach a mutually satisfactory settlement.
By deciding that it has jurisdiction over the validity of the 1899 arbitration award based on Guyana’s unilateral claim, the ICJ commits an incomprehensible and unusual error, not only in terms of the consent not given by Venezuela to said jurisdiction, but by admitting a object of dispute other than the substantial object of the dispute, as defined by the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
With its decision, the Court not only violates its own doctrine established and sustained for decades, but also its extensive jurisprudence. Consequently, Venezuela rejects the decision of the ICJ, in perfect harmony with the arguments that it opportunely offered – from its sovereign position of not appearing – to assist with it in its duty to dictate a statement where the law, the principles of Law and customary law required him to declare his obvious lack of jurisdiction.
Consequently, and for the reasons set forth above, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela repudiates the ruling issued by the ICJ in the aforementioned terms, while claiming, once again, the validity of the 1966 Geneva Agreement and ratifying that it will continue to exercise its just claim, given the grotesque fraud that the Arbitration Award of 1899 implied to the detriment of its territorial integrity.
Finally, Venezuela reiterates its call for this controversy to be channeled amicably and proposes the beginning of direct negotiations with the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, in accordance with international law and on the basis of the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which mandates both parties to resolve this dispute peacefully.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela calls on all the Venezuelan people to unite around this national historical cause in defense of their sovereign right over Guayana Esequiba and to reject a decision that is detrimental to law, history and justice.
The sun of Venezuela is born in El Essequibo.
