Guyana grateful for U.S. unwavering support in border controversy – Dr Jagdeo

Vice President and General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo says Guyana is extremely grateful for the United States (U.S.) government’s unwavering support in the century-old border controversy with Venezuela. 

Dr Jagdeo’s remarks came against the backdrop of U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Guyana on Thursday, where bilateral discussions were held with President Dr Mohamed Irfaan

The border controversy, which dates back more than a century, centers on the oil-rich Essequibo region, which comprises two-thirds of Guyana’s territory. While Guyana insists that an 1899 arbitration ruling settled the issue, Venezuela continues to claim the Region as its own. 

The U.S. Administration’s commitment to the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which determined that the Essequibo belongs to Guyana, was recognised by the vice president. 

“We are extremely grateful for that,” he reiterated during his weekly press conference at Freedom House, Georgetown.

He noted that Rubio’s visit is significant as it occurs just nine weeks into his tenure.

Dr Jagdeo elaborated further, stating that Rubio’s visit will not only strengthen diplomatic ties but also allow for direct engagement with the administration.  This, he said, is important since opposition figures both locally and abroad have attempted to distort Guyana’s political and economic realities.  However, with this visit, the U.S. Government can receive firsthand, accurate information about the government’s aspirations for its people.  “We are very pleased that the visit has allowed us, not just to have that engagement, but to create that mechanism so that there would be no distortion as to what’s going on in Guyana… What our motives are, what our goals are [and] what our aspirations for our people are,” Dr Jagdeo emphasised.

Earlier on Thursday, President Ali and Secretary Rubio engaged in extensive diplomatic talks covering a range of topics, from Guyana’s territorial integrity to economic transformation, energy and security cooperation, among others. This engagement culminated in the signing of several cooperation agreements, followed by a press briefing. 

Secretary Rubio made it clear that any acts of physical aggression against Guyana or oil giant ExxonMobil will be met with extreme consequences when questioned by a Guyanese reporter.  The US official said, “It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they were to attack Guyana or attack ExxonMobil or anything like it…very bad week for them…it would not end well for them. I’m not going to get into details of what we’ll do,” he said in response to a question from local media, at a joint news conference with President Dr. Irfaan Ali.  

He added, “…there are regional threats based on illegitimate territorial claims by the narco-trafficking regime [Venezuela]…I want to be frank…there will be consequences for adventurism There will be consequences for aggressive actions and that’s why our partnership in that regard will be important.”

Rubio noted, too, that with Guyana on the brink of a massive transformation, any threats to the Guyanese territory will not be tolerated.

PLANNED ELECTIONS

Notably, Venezuela has announced that it will soon hold elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region.

Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has since filed a new case at the ICJ, seeking emergency measures to halt Venezuela’s plans to hold an election in Essequibo.

The ICJ is expected to address new requests for provisional measures, given Venezuela’s announcement that it will soon hold elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region. Guyana has argued to the ICJ that the conduct of Venezuelan elections, which are scheduled for 25 May 2025, as well as all preparatory acts in the disputed territory leading to the holding of such elections, would violate “Guyana’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence, as well as the Court’s Order [on the indication of provisional measures] of 1 December 2023”.

INCURSION INTO GUYANA’S WATERS

Venezuela’s recent aggressions occurred on March 1, 2025, around 07:00 hours when Venezuelan Naval Vessel ABV Guaiqueiri sailed approximately 700 metres in Guyana’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), near FPSO PROSPERITY.

The Venezuelan naval vessel communicated threateningly via radio communication that FPSO PROSPERITY was operating in Venezuela’s EEZ before continuing in a Southwestern direction towards other FPSOs, to which it delivered the same message.

The incursion drew swift condemnation from the Guyanese government, CARICOM, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Commonwealth, and key Western nations, including the US, the UK, and France.

ICJ PROCESS

On 29 March 2018, Guyana filed an Application instituting proceedings against Venezuela with respect to a dispute concerning “the legal validity and binding effect of the Award regarding the Boundary between the Colony of British Guiana and the United States of Venezuela, of 3 October 1899”.

As basis for the jurisdiction of the Court, the Applicant invokes Article IV, paragraph 2, of the “Agreement to Resolve the Controversy between Venezuela and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland over the Frontier between Venezuela and British Guiana”, signed at Geneva on 17 February 1966, and the decision of 30 January 2018 by which the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in accordance with that Agreement, chose the Court as the means to be used for the settlement of the controversy.

On 18 June 2018, Venezuela informed the Court that it considered that the Court manifestly lacked jurisdiction to hear the case and that it had decided not to take part in the proceedings. The Court then decided to address first the question of its jurisdiction.

In its Judgment delivered on 18 December 2020, the Court found that it had jurisdiction to entertain the Application filed by Guyana in so far as it concerned the validity of the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 and the related question of the definitive settlement of the land boundary dispute between Guyana and Venezuela.

Further to the filing of preliminary objections by Venezuela on 7 June 2022, the Court, in its Judgment of 6 April 2023, rejected Venezuela’s preliminary objection concerning the exercise of the Court’s jurisdiction and found that it could adjudicate upon the merits of Guyana’s claims, in so far as they fall within the scope of the Court’s jurisdiction as defined in the operative clause of its Judgment of 18 December 2020.

On 30 October 2023, Guyana filed a Request for the indication of provisional measures due to its concern over the Government of Venezuela’s stated intention to hold a so-called “Consultative Referendum” on 3 December 2023 regarding the purported creation of the State of “Guayana Essequiba” within Venezuela, comprising the territory at issue in the current proceedings.

In its Order of 1 December 2023, the Court stated that, in light of the strong tension that characterized the relations between the Parties, it considered that the conduct of Venezuela — in organizing such a referendum and asserting that it would take concrete action on the basis of the results of that referendum — presented a serious risk of Venezuela acquiring and exercising control and administration of the territory in dispute. The Court therefore directed Venezuela to refrain from taking any action, pending a final decision in the case, which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.

The Court further instructed both Parties to refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute or make it more difficult to resolve.