The interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, arrived in The Hague to represent the country at the International Court of Justice, in a territorial dispute with Guyana over an area rich in natural resources.
“It was very clear that the only party that has the right to this territory is Venezuela,” Rodríguez told state TV upon landing in the Netherlands. This is her first trip outside the Caribbean since her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, was captured by US forces earlier this year.
The border dispute, a legacy of the British colonial period in northern South America, revolves around Essequibo, a western region of neighboring Guyana that Venezuela has claimed for decades. The court will analyze the case presented by Guyana regarding the validity of the 1899 arbitration award, which defined the land border between Venezuela and the then British Guiana.
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In recent years, Exxon Mobil has made major oil discoveries in offshore areas of a sea strip that Caracas considers an extension of its claim to Essequibo. The Venezuelan Navy has already patrolled this region in actions seen as an attempt to intimidate research ships working for US oil companies.
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