Guyana’s President, Dr. Irfaan Ali is rebuffing unfounded statements from the Venezuela government about Guyana’s oil sector, the government’s relationship with ExxonMobil and purported actions by the United States Southern Command.
Venezuela has said that Guyana is controlled by ExxonMobil and that the United States Southern Command has established secret military bases in the country, although it has provided no evidence to substantiate these claims.
“As a sovereign nation, we are beholden to no state or private entity in how we conduct our domestic or foreign policy, including our relations with other states,” Ali said in an April 8 statement. “Let me be pellucidly clear, the government of Guyana, under my leadership, will continue to govern and monitor all license holders in a transparent manner.”
Guyana puts international community on notice as Venezuela continues to push for Essequibo region
Venezuela earlier yesterday reported that it submitted its counter-memorial on the merits of the case concerning the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela). This case, filed by Guyana in March 2018, seeks the Court’s decision on the validity of the Arbitral Award which determined the land boundary between the two countries more than a century ago.
Welcoming the submission, Ali said, “This is what Guyana has been calling for, and I hope that Venezuela will continue to engage fully in the process before the International Court of Justice, which has determined that it has the jurisdiction in the case brought before it…”
With the submissions of both countries now before the Court, the Court can make a judgment, but this could take years.
