The Venezuelan regime, led by Nicolás Maduro, reaffirmed this Friday (1st) that it does not accept the authority of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to resolve the territorial conflict with Guyana over the Essequibo region, an area rich in resources natural resources that covers almost 160 thousand square kilometers.
Venezuelan dictator Maduro said on a social network that his country “maintains its historic position of not recognizing the International Court of Justice as the mechanism to resolve the dispute” over the Essequibo, and that the court will not impede the rights of the Venezuelan people to express themselves through voting.” He also “invited” citizens to participate in the consultative referendum that will take place this Sunday (3), in which five questions will be asked on the issue.
Venezuela called the referendum after the ICJ ruled it had jurisdiction to hear the case, at the request of Guyana, which claims the territory has belonged to it since 1899, when it was arbitrated by a British-led commission.
Venezuela rejects this arbitration award and considers that Essequibo has been part of its territory since the time of its independence from Spain. It proposes a “negotiated solution” based on the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which established a mediation mechanism between the parties.
This Friday, the ICJ issued an order in which it asked Venezuela to refrain from taking any action that would modify the situation in Essequibo or that would worsen or prolong the dispute, but did not prevent Maduro’s referendum from being held.
The vice president of the Venezuelan regime, Delcy Rodríguez, interpreted this order as a “victory” for her country and stated that she “accuses” Guyana of being a “de facto occupier” of the Essequibo. (With EFE Agency)
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