The Caribbean Community (Caricom) yesterday registered its concern about several recent assertions from Venezuela over its territorial controversy with Guyana, while reiterating its support for the maintenance Guyana’s territorial integrity.
Caricom again exp-ressed its hope for an early resolution of the controversy, which sprang from Venezuela’s contention that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which settled the boundary between the two countries, is null and void.
“The Caribbean Community reiterates its firm, long-standing and continued support for the maintenance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana and for the unhindered economic and social development of all of Guyana,” Caricom said, after noting assertions contained in a Communiqué from the Ministry of the Peoples Power of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, dated March 3rd, 2015.
The latest flare-up of the controversy began last month, when Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodríguez sent communication to the Country Manager of Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, objecting to the dispatch of a rig to proceed with the exploration of an oil well in the concession granted by the Government of Guyana.
The Government of Guyana subsequently dispatched a Note Verbale to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, requesting that Caracas desist from taking any actions that could only result in the stymieing of the development of Guyana and its people and that would be in contravention of international law.
In its March 3rd statement, Caracas subsequently denied that it had sought to stymie the development of Guyana and said that Georgetown’s statements to this effect are “unacceptable and unjust.” Caracas also called for national unity of all Venezuelans to “defend the territorial integrity” of Venezuela.
The Caracas statement also said that the Venezuelan government “deplores” the reaction of the Guyana government to the Venezuelan assertion against the unilateral acts that signify the start of exploratory activities by Exxon Mobil and its subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited in the ‘Stabroek Block’ without the occurrence of prior notification to Caracas, due to the fact that the specific area of operations in the Stabroek Block is defined as a maritime area in the process of delimitation “that corresponds to the claim of territorial sovereignty by Venezuela, within the Geneva Accord.”
Guyana has since reiterated that it was studying options under the Geneva Agreement to bring the longstanding territorial controversy with Caracas to an end.
Caricom said it has also taken note that Guyana has commenced a review of the options available under Article 33 of the United Nations Charter, as provided by the 1966 Geneva Agreement, including the judicial option, that could serve to bring an end to the controversy and ensure stability in the relations between the two countries, relations that in recent years have seen positive progress through high-level political consultations and mutually beneficial programmes of functional cooperation.
