Venezuela calls Rubio 'enemy' over US recognition of Guyana's territorial integrity

On Jan. 27, Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the United States’ “steadfast support” for Guyana’s sovereignty implicit the Essequibo region, which is disputed by Venezuela.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil responded connected Jan. 28, calling Rubio “an force of our country” who “continues to amusement his unhealthy obsession with harming Venezuela.”

Essequibo, a resource-rich portion of onshore accounting for much than two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, has been controlled and administered by Guyana for much than a century.

Gil said Rubio “seeks to enactment the fantasies of the Guyanese government, which aims to portion america of the historical rights bequeathed to america by our liberators and which are an inalienable portion of our sovereignty.” Addressing Guyanese officials, Gil said their obligations are to “history, planetary instrumentality and determination peace, not to 3rd parties.”

“The lone morganatic and valid way to resolving the territorial contention implicit the Guayana Essequibo is done compliance with the 1966 Geneva Agreement,” helium said.

Gil’s framing of the Essequibo contented is misleading.

An planetary tribunal of arbitration established the borderline betwixt Venezuela and Guyana successful 1899, giving British Guiana — contiguous time Guyana — sovereignty implicit Essequibo.

Since Guyana’s independency from Britain successful 1966, a U.N.-backed pact has required its lingering territorial disputes with Venezuela to beryllium resolved via planetary bodies.

After the 2 sides failed to scope an statement successful 2018, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres chose the International Court of Justice, oregon ICJ, — the lone planetary tribunal that adjudicates wide disputes betwixt nations — to settee the controversy.

The nations person since chosen antithetic paths to resoluteness their differences: Guyana has adhered to U.N. guidelines portion Venezuela has proceeded with a bid of moves violating its obligations nether planetary law.

In December 2020, the ICJ agreed to instrumentality up Guyana’s lawsuit to corroborate validity of the 1899 statute. But Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly disputed the court’s jurisdiction connected the matter.

Venezuela continues to reason ICJ jurisdiction and has threatened extra-legal solutions to settee the dispute. A December 2023 fashionable referendum connected whether to incorporated Essequibo into Venezeulan territory was deemed amerciable by the Organization of American States.

Days earlier the referendum, the ICJ called connected Venezuela not to instrumentality immoderate actions that are “intended to hole oregon let the workout of sovereignty oregon de facto power implicit immoderate territory that was awarded to British Guiana successful the 1899 Arbitral Award.”

On Dec. 5, 2023, Maduro ordered the instauration of a caller Venezuelan authorities called “Guayana Esequiba” and publicized a caller representation with Essequibo shown arsenic portion of the country.

Maduro besides announced Venezuela would “immediately” statesman exploring and exploiting Essequibo’s earthy resources, including lipid and gas, and issued an bid to make subsidiaries of authorities firms to that end.

Ten days later, connected Dec. 15, 2023, Venezuela and Guyana agreed they would not contented threats oregon usage unit to settee the dispute. Venezuela, however, has since bulked up its subject beingness on the disputed border.

In March 2024, the Venezuelan National Assembly passed a instrumentality recognizing Essequibo arsenic a Venezuelan state, though Venezuela’s Supreme Court indispensable regularisation connected the constitutionality of that instrumentality earlier it tin spell into effect.

Analysts person suggested that Maduro utilized the Essequibo contented to drum up fashionable enactment successful the tally up to the July 2024 election, which the absorption credibly says helium stole.

Last month, Venezuela completed operation of a span linking its mainland to the eastbound broadside of Ankoko Island, a parcel of the Essequibo portion that Caracas has controlled since 1966.

According to The Associated Press, the span connects Venezuela to a tiny subject basal that Guyana says Venezuela built illegally connected Guyana’s broadside of the island.