“Here we are coming to defend the majesty and vigor of the Geneva Agreement”. The “president in charge” Delcy Rodríguez landed in The Hague this Sunday to defend before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Venezuela’s ownership of Guayana Esequiba. Venezuela has a major dispute with Guyana: nada less than 160,000 square kilometers rich in oil, wood and minerals that represents almost two thirds of the neighboring country. “We maintain our position in defending the Geneva Agreement; at that time, in 1966, there was an agreement to settle and overcome what was the fraudulent Arbitration Award of 1899,” said Rodríguez. The trip involves several new things at the same time. It is the first carried out by the provisional authority since the “kidnapping” of Nicolás Maduro, on January 3. The EU has authorized it on an exceptional basis, This is a leader whose sanctions have not yet been lifted, as has happened in the United States. Another factor emerges under the new political circumstances. Washington has supported Georgetown in its dispute with Caracas. While Maduro was governing, he warned that this support could also be military in the event of an armed conflict. Now, Rodríguez is a temporary ally of Donald Trump. The expectation of the Miraflores Palace is at least to dispense with the US in bilateral discussions.
“It has become very clear that“The only one that has ownership over this territory and this territorial controversy is Venezuela.”said Rodríguez upon landing. “We have demonstrated in all historical stages what our territory has meant since we were born as a Republic, and before when we were an administrative unit of colonial powers.”
Last Monday, his Foreign Minister, Yván Gil, had spoken before the ICJ. He then said that “the world and the people of Venezuela” were going to hear “the truth” and “the reasons” for the claim. Guyana expanded during the 19th century while it was under the rule of the British Crown, which, according to Caracas, conditioned arbitration unfavorable to Venezuela that was based on manipulation of cartography.
The 2023 consultation
Madurismo intensified the cause of Essequibo during its last years to the point of carrying out one in December 2023 a popular consultation which, despite the significant absenteeism, allowed him to advance in the creation of an administrative entity for the area in dispute, also integrated into a new map. Not only Washington then observed this movement with resentment, but also Brazil, which is Guyana’s other neighbor. They share a border of 1600 kilometers. Guyanese President Irfaan Ali met with Maduro But nothing positive came out of that meeting. The tensions were permanent. January 3 has in principle been observed by Georgetown as a cut-off point with respect to previous years. But Rodríguez has decided to continue the policy of his predecessor, not only on a rhetorical level: on several occasions he wore an ornament on his dress in the shape of an “expanded” Venezuela into which Essequibo had been integrated.
The background of the controversy is oil. The North American ExxonMobil operates the Stabroek block, an area of 26,800, where most of the large discoveries have been made since 2015. The activity of that company, which is associated with the Chinese CNOOC, has been the engine of Guyana’s formidable economic growth. In 2024 alone, GDP grew by 43%. Georgetown is experiencing a construction boom, with skyscrapers and luxury hotels.
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