Venezuela’s acting President, Delcy Rodríguez has defended her country’s claim to Essequibo at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, telling judges that political negotiations, not a judicial ruling, will resolve the century-old territorial dispute.
Today marked the final day of hearings in a dispute between her country and neighboring Guyana over the massive mineral- and oil-rich Essequibo region.
When hearings opened last week at the United Nations’ highest court, Guyana’s Foreign Minister, Hugh Hilton Todd, told the panel of international judges that the dispute “has been a blight on our existence as a sovereign state from the very beginning.” He said that 70% of Guyana’s territory is at stake.
The 62,000-square-mile territory, which makes up two-thirds of Guyana, is rich in gold, diamonds, timber and other natural resources. It also sits near massive offshore oil deposits currently producing an average 900,000 barrels a day. That output is close to Venezuela’s daily production of about 1 million barrels a day and has transformed one of the smallest countries in South America into a significant energy producer.
Venezuela has considered Essequibo its own since the Spanish colonial period, when the jungle region fell within its boundaries but an 1899 decision by arbitrators from Britain, Russia and the United States drew the border along the Essequibo River largely in favor of Guyana.
Venezuela has argued that a 1966 agreement sealed in Geneva to resolve the dispute effectively nullified the 19th-century arbitration. In 2018, however, three years after ExxonMobil announced a significant oil discovery off the Essequibo coast, Guyana’s government went to the International Court of Justice and asked judges to uphold the 1899 ruling.
Tensions between the countries further flared in 2023, when Rodríguez’s predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, threatened to annex the region by force after holding a referendum asking voters if Essequibo should be turned into a Venezuelan state.
Maduro was captured on January 3 during a U.S. military operation in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges. He has pleaded not guilty. Rodríguez assumed power in following the U.S. military operation that ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Rodríguez did not address the referendum in her remarks, but she told the court that the 1966 agreement is designed to allow negotiations between Venezuela and Guyana to resolve the territorial dispute.
She also accused Guyana’s government of undermining the agreement with the “opportunistic” decision to ask the court to address the dispute.
“At a time when the mechanisms established in the Geneva agreement were still fully in force, Guyana unilaterally chose to shift the dispute from the negotiating arena to a judicial resolution. This change was not accidental; it coincided with the discovery in 2015 of the oil field that would become world-renowned.”
Delcy Rodríguez
In comments surrounding the hearing, Rodríguez stressed that Venezuela had consistently defended its territorial claims “at every historical stage” since becoming a republic. She also called for transforming the dispute from a colonial-era legacy into an opportunity for cooperation and peaceful engagement between the two nations.
The court is likely to take months to issue a final and legally binding ruling in the case. Venezuela has warned that its participation in the hearings does not mean either consent to, or recognition of, the court’s jurisdiction.
The court’s enforcement mechanisms remain limited and would depend largely on international political support and compliance by the parties involved. Legal experts note that while the court’s decisions are binding under international law, implementation can become difficult when states reject the court’s jurisdiction or authority.
Trump’s Claim Of Venezuela Becoming US State Rejected
Moreover, Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez told journalists at the International Court of Justice that her country had no plans to become the 51st U.S. state after President Donald Trump said he was “seriously considering” the move.
Rodríguez said, “We will continue to defend our integrity, our sovereignty, our independence, our history,” adding that Venezuela is “not a colony, but a free country.”
Speaking to a news agency earlier today, Trump said that he was “seriously considering making Venezuela the 51st US state,” according to a post by co-anchor John Roberts on social media. Trump has made similar comments about Canada.
Rodríguez went on to say that Venezuelan and U.S. officials have been in touch and are working on “cooperation and understanding.”
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