In a very unusual way, both Venezuela and Guyana celebrated a decision announced this Friday (1st) by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the Essequibo region, disputed by both countries.
In response to a demand from Guyana for the court to suspend a referendum on the area, which Venezuela will hold on Sunday (3), the ICJ ruled that “the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela must refrain from any actions that could modify the situation that currently prevails” and that “both parties must refrain from any actions that may aggravate or extend the dispute or make it even more difficult to resolve.”
In Sunday’s referendum, the people of Venezuela will decide whether the government should take steps to annex the Essequibo region, an area of Guyana over which Caracas claims sovereignty and which represents around 70% of the neighboring country’s territory. One of the measures to be voted on is the creation of a Venezuelan state in the disputed area.
In a statement, the President of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, praised the ICJ’s decision. “As the court made clear, Venezuela is prohibited from annexing or invading the territory of Guyana or from taking any other actions – regardless of the outcome of its December 3 referendum – that alter the status quo in which Guyana administers and controls the Essequibo region,” said Ali.
In turn, the vice-president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, also celebrated, stating that the ICJ decision did not specifically prohibit the holding of the referendum. “Concretely, Guyana’s requests were rejected,” she declared this Friday.
She stated that Sunday’s vote “will ratify that our rights over Guyana Essequiba [como Caracas chama a região] are irrevocable and unquestionable.” “The truth of our homeland has triumphed,” said Rodríguez.
The ICJ will later deliberate on who has sovereignty over the region, but one of the questions in the referendum is precisely whether the Venezuelan population recognizes the jurisdiction of the Hague court in the case.
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