The Commonwealth Secretariat released a statement on February 14, 2018 regarding the long-standing border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.
The Commonwealth Secretariat released a statement on February 14, 2018 regarding the long-standing border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.
It follows a decision by António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, to refer the situation to the International Court of Justice.
In support of the Commonwealth South American country, the statement read: “The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, welcomes the decision of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Gutteres, to refer the long-standing border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The Secretary-General recalled that at the September 2017 meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana, Ministers noted Guyana’s concerns that this longstanding controversy has impacted on the country’s economic development.
The Secretary-General reiterated the unequivocal and collective support of Commonwealth member governments for the maintenance and safeguarding of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The statement also makes reference to the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, held in Malta in 2015, at which Commonwealth leaders noted: “The Geneva Agreement of 1966 between the Parties provides a range of mechanisms for an expeditious solution to the controversy arising from Venezuela’s contention of invalidity of the 1899 Arbitral Award.
The Heads expressed their full support for the United Nations Secretary-General to choose a means of settlement in keeping with the provisions of the Geneva Agreement 1966, to bring the controversy to a definitive end.”
The statement refers to the controversy surrounding the Guayana Esequiba, a territory administered by Guyana and claimed by Venezuela.
The long-standing dispute over territory boundaries was inherited from the colonial era, when the British government decided to demarcate Guyana’s borders in middle of the 19th century.
The subsequent survey and demarcation was disputed by Venezuela, and the situation further complicated by Guyana’s independence in 1966.
The territory’s status is subject to the Treaty of Geneva, signed in that year by British Guiana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom, which stipulates that all concerned parties agree to coordinate a peaceful, practical and satisfactory solution to the dispute.
Talks have repeatedly stagnated and collapsed, leading to this latest development by the United Nations.
