CARICOM backs Guyana over Venezuela’s territorial claim

March 21, 2015 | By KNews | Filed Under News, Source

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) yesterday noted its concerns over several assertions contained in a CommuniquÉ from the Venezuela Government concerning its claims on territory belonging to Guyana.

President Donald Ramotar

“The Caribbean Community reiterates its firm, long-standing and continued support for the maintenance of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana and for the unhindered economic and social development of all of Guyana,” CARICOM said in a statement.

“In this regard, the Community, once again, expresses its hope for an early resolution of the controversy which has arisen as a result of Venezuela’s contention that the Arbitral award of 1899, which definitively settled the boundary between the two countries, is null and void.

CARICOM also noted that it has taken note that Guyana has commenced a review of the options available under Article 33 of the United Nations Charter, as provided by the 1966 Geneva Agreement, including the judicial option, that could serve to bring an end to the controversy and  ensure stability in the relations between the two countries- relations that in recent years have seen positive progress through high-level political consultations and mutually beneficial programmes of functional cooperation.

Recently, Venezuela in a strongly worded statement in Kaieteur News warned that it is prepared to take action following the recent start of oil drilling activities by a US exploration firm, in what it considers disputed territory.

But the Government of Guyana stood firm, calling on its neighbour to be respectful of the age old boundary award which gives this country right to explore its economic potential.

Venezuela had warned US-owned ExxonMobil, one of the world’s biggest oil companies, not to drill for oil in what it considers its waters, offshore Georgetown.

Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro

However, ExxonMobil insisted that it has an agreement with Guyana and not Venezuela. A drilling ship is in the concession and last week reportedly started its activities, Government has announced.

Following the warning to ExxonMobil, Guyana sent a protest note to Venezuela stressing that the neighbouring country is stymieing the development of Guyana and its people, and that would be in contravention of international law.

The situation is a delicate one for Guyana and Venezuela, as the two countries are part of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) under which a number of lucrative trading deals have been reached.

In the case of Guyana, Venezuela has for almost a decade now been selling oil at concessionary rates and in return, this country has been supplying rice. On Wednesday, a new deal was signed for almost 200,000 tonnes of rice and paddy, much to the relief of Guyana which would have been left holding a huge surplus had Venezuela backed down.

The MV Teknik Perdana which was seized and detained by the Venezuelan Military in Guyana’s waters back in 2013

In October 2013, an armed Venezuelan navy vessel reportedly entered Guyana’s waters and detained a seismic survey vessel which was under contract with Anadarko.

Anadarko had a petroleum prospecting licence to search for hydrocarbons in the Roraima block offshore Guyana.

Venezuela took almost a three-quarter page advertisement in Kaieteur News with a statement on the issue of ExxonMobil.

“…the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela as a promoter of peace, unity and solidarity development as inherited patterns of behavior of our Liberator SimÓn BolÍvar and the Eternal Commander Hugo ChÁvez, reserves the right to execute all actions in the diplomatic field and in accordance with international law, that might be necessary to defend and safeguard the sovereignty and independence of our country under the border dispute over the Essequibo Reclamation Zone.”

“The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ratifies its commitment to international peace and the unity of the Latin American and Caribbean peoples, and ratifies the full exercise of its just claim to the Essequibo territory, including its coastline, and calls for national unity to all Venezuelans to defend the territorial integrity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

In its response issued by Director General, Elisabeth Harper, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Guyana said it is extremely perplexed by Venezuela’s statement, which while declaring as false Guyana’s statement, that Venezuela’s actions are aimed at stymieing Guyana’s development, “that same Government seeks to publicize those very objections to Guyana’s development initiatives – by also utilizing Guyana’s local media.”