Venezuela insisted on Wednesday that a disputed mineral-rich region of Guyana was 'fraudulently' taken during a 19th-century colonial episode, arguing that a 1966 agreement, not the United Nations' highest court, should determine ownership of the territory.
Hearings at the International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice is conducting a week of hearings between the South American neighbors, both of which claim the Essequibo region. This area is abundant in gold, diamonds, timber, and other natural resources, and lies near substantial offshore oil deposits.
Historical Background
An 1899 arbitration decision by representatives from Britain, Russia, and the United States established the border along the Essequibo River, largely favoring Guyana. The United States represented Venezuela at the time because the Venezuelan government had severed diplomatic relations with Britain. Venezuela now contends that the Americans and Europeans conspired to cheat the country out of its rightful land.
Venezuela has regarded Essequibo as its own since the Spanish colonial period, when the jungle-covered region fell within its boundaries. The country argues that a 1966 agreement signed in Geneva to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the 19th-century arbitration.
“Guyana presents itself as the true, legitimate heir to British and Dutch territories, but the reality is that it is the beneficiary of colonial dispossession, formalized through fraudulent arbitration. The Geneva Agreement seeks to correct this century-old injustice,” Venezuela's representative Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta told the world court. He added that Caracas rejects the court's jurisdiction, which was 'erroneously imposed' in a 2020 decision, and said the 1966 agreement 'establishes a framework' for a negotiated resolution.
As hearings opened on Monday, Guyana's Foreign Minister High Hilton Todd told the panel of international judges that the dispute 'has been a blight on our existence as a sovereign state from the very beginning.' He noted that 70% of Guyana's territory is at stake.
The court, based in The Hague, is expected to take months to reach a final and legally binding ruling in the case.
