Guyana used the 56th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) to draw renewed hemispheric attention to Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region, with Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd warning that the controversy carries implications for regional peace and security.
Delivering Guyana’s main intervention on June 24 in Panama City, Todd reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to multilateralism while urging greater recognition of the security risks posed by Venezuela’s continued claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory.
“As I have indicated in previous General Assemblies, Guyana sees strength and merit in utilizing multilateral approaches to address the common, most difficult challenges across the Americas. Strengthening peace and security remains a shared priority for our region as it addresses various forms of security challenges,” the Minister said.
Turning to the border controversy, Minister Todd said Guyana continues to face a very serious threat to its sovereignty and territorial integrity from Venezuela’s “ongoing spurious claim” to five-eighths of the country’s territory. He said the claim persists despite the 1899 Arbitral Award, which delimited the land boundary between the two states.
“Last month, the International Court of Justice heard oral presentations by both Guyana and Venezuela on the validity of the arbitral award, and it is expected that the Court will issue its ruling at the end of this year or early next year. Guyana is prepared to accept the ruling,” he told the Assembly.
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The minister warned that Guyana remains concerned about the implications of Venezuela’s position, stating that the country has “repeatedly declared, including in the hallowed walls of the International Court of Justice, that it does not and will not recognize the Court’s jurisdiction”.
He added, “We remain extremely concerned by this posture, which has direct implications for Guyana and the possible peace and security implications for the region.”
The 56th Regular Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States, was held in Panama from June 22-24 under the theme “The Americas United on the Bicentennial of the Amphictyonic Congress of Panama: Firm Multilateralism in Defense of Democracy, Hemispheric Security, and Stability in the Member States”.
It is the organization’s highest decision-making meeting, bringing together foreign ministers and senior officials from across the Americas. By raising the controversy there, Guyana brought the border issue directly before the hemisphere’s governments, reaffirming its commitment to resolving the controversy through the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
