Venezuela will attend ICJ hearings on the Esequibo, but without recognizing its jurisdiction

Caracas.- Venezuela reported this Saturday that it will participate in the hearings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), scheduled for May 4, regarding the territorial dispute with Guyana over the Esequibo region, although it reiterated that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the court nor the decisions it may issue. Through a statement released by Foreign Minister Yván Gil, the Venezuelan government assured that it will attend the hearings only to "show the world the truth" about the rights that, according to Caracas, historically correspond to it over the Essequibo Guyana. The administration headed by Delcy Rodríguez insisted that its participation does not represent consent or recognition of the authority of the international court and described the process as an action unilaterally driven by Guyana.

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Furthermore, Venezuela reiterated that it considers the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid mechanism to resolve the territorial dispute, understanding that said treaty establishes the basis for reaching a negotiated and acceptable solution for both parties. "The applicable legal framework is the Geneva Agreement and we will never renounce the territory that belongs to us," expressed the Venezuelan Government in the statement. The dispute over the Essequibo, a territory of approximately 160,000 square kilometers rich in mineral and oil resources, dates back to the 1899 Paris Arbitration Award, which granted sovereignty of the area to the then British Guiana. Decades later, Venezuela declared that ruling null and signed the Geneva Agreement of 1966 with the United Kingdom. In 2018, Guyana took the case to the ICJ seeking to ratify the legal validity of the 1899 arbitral award and the current border demarcation. While Georgetown maintains that the court is the legitimate way to resolve the dispute, Caracas has historically maintained its rejection of the court's jurisdiction.