By 14 votes to 3, the International Court of Justice ruled that Nicaragua cannot extend its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, an extension that would have overlapped with Colombia’s economic zone. The ruling ends a dispute that began in 2013, when the Central American country filed its lawsuit with the ICJ.
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“Great victory for Colombia”. With these words, Colombian President Gustavo Petro celebrated the decision of the International Court of Justice, which rejected Nicaragua’s request to extend its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.
The ruling of the court based in The Hague (Netherlands) determined by 13 votes to 4 that “Nicaragua does not have the right to an extended platform” as claimed by the Central American country, which was demanding an expansion of its maritime limits and its rights over a area rich in resources such as gas, oil and fish.
For Colombia, the ruling also represents a ratification of its sovereignty over the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, given that the Nicaraguan extension request meant overlapping with the Colombian platform around those islands.
“With this ruling, we hope to close the border dispute and focus on bringing sustainable development to our archipelago,” Petro remarked on Twitter, wishing to put an end to a long territorial dispute that has affected ties between the two neighboring nations.
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