Guyana, Venezuela to meet with President of World Court

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, has invited the representatives of Guyana and Venezuela to attend a meeting with him on June 18, 2018, in The Hague.

The Ministry in a statement today noted that the purpose of the meeting is to fix the schedule for the filing of the written pleadings in the case following the filing of its Application with the International Court of Justice on March 29, 2018 requesting the Court to confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the 1899 Arbitral Award regarding the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.

“This is part of the Court’s normal procedure following the filing of a case. The meeting with the President of the Court will be limited to the matter of the schedule. Guyana will be represented by its Legal Counsel,” Guyana’s Foreign Ministry stated.

Meanwhile, Venezuela has announced that it will be going to the ICJ. Venezuela’s Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs said its decision to participate in the proceedings followed an ICJ communication it received on June 4, 2018.

“The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, faithful to its historical position and in accordance with Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy, reiterates its firm willingness to defend the territorial integrity of our country based on the 1966 Geneva Agreement, the legal framework that governs the territorial dispute of Essequibo,” the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.