President David Granger says his government has welcomed the decision of the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Mr. Antonio Gutteres to refer the Guyana/Venezuela controversy to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
In an address to the nation on Tuesday evening (January 30, 2018), the Head of State said “Guyana remains confident in the correctness of its case. Guyana looks forward to the reaffirmation of the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award before the International Court of Justice.”
The Head of State reminded that Guyana’s position has always been that the basis of the controversy is a legal question, which should be resolved peacefully and conclusively through a legal process.
He noted that the Government will take all the necessary steps to ensure that its national patrimony will be protected for all time.
“Guyana remains committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes, respect for international agreements and treaties and to maintaining friendly relations with its neighbours,” President Granger said.
He informed that Guyana will pursue the path ahead in furtherance of the preservation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity “with quiet confidence and with the assurance.”
Earlier today, Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Stéphane Dujarric in a statement, said that owing to the fact that no significant progress was made towards the full agreement for the solution of the controversy in 2017, the final year of the Good Offices Process, which commenced since 1990, the ICJ will be the next stop of settlement, unless the Governments of Guyana and Venezuela jointly requested that Secretary-General refrain from doing so.
