See below full statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation:
The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana is gravely concerned over the adoption of a law by the Venezuelan National Assembly declaring the Essequibo region of Guyana, which constitutes more than two thirds of its national territory, to be a constituent part of Venezuela.
This is in flagrant violation of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and is in breach of the fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter. It is also an egregious violation of the Order on provisional measures issued by the international Court of Justice on December 1, 2023 and it is a violation of the Argyle Declaration of December 14, 2023 agreed to by the leaders of CARICOM and Brazil, the representative of the United Nations Secretary General and by the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela.
Guyana remains committed to peace on its borders and in the region. It will not allow its sovereignty and territorial territory to be usurped. Guyana will exert all of its efforts under international law to ensure that its sovereignty and territorial integrity remain intact.
Guyana calls on the international community to uphold the rule of law by rejecting Venezuela’s illegal expansionism and by insisting that Venezuela revert to the International Court of Justice which has before it the case for a full and final resolution of the controversy over the land border between the two countries.
Prior to the St Vincent meeting I advised that President Ali should as a precondition to meeting with President Maduro request that Maduro undo its virtual annexation of the Essequibo Region that is a flagrant infringement of the Interim Measures issued by the ICJ on 1 December 2023. This regressive claim to foreign Guyanese territory that has been duly recognised by the the ICJ also infringes the Argyle Accord but Argyle has little or no effective dispute settlement procedures while Venezuela continues to ramp up its claim over Guyanese territory. This matter must be brought to the attention of the UNSC bypassing the toothless Argyle Framework because as the July elections approaches Maduro will invoke the Essequibo as a rallying point for mobilising internal electoral cohesiveness.
Maduro cannot be trusted to keep the peace and his word and Guyana must accelerate its defense co-operation with friendly countries whilst ignoring any reaction for Caracas.