By Staff Writer
Guyana’s rapid ascendancy on the world stage as an oil-producing country is at risk of being overshadowed by new events which could place it as one of the hotspots of global conflict.
Moves from neighbouring Venezuela, which has a longstanding claim to two-thirds of Guyana, are being ratcheted up with a new aggressive stance by the government in Caracas.
President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela has placed the issue front and centre again with a referendum planned for December 3rd seeking to establish Guyana’s Essequibo region, which accounts for two-thirds of the size of Guyana, as a state of Venezuela.
Recent oil discoveries in Guyana are said to be further ‘fuelling’ the intensification of Venezuela’s claims.
Venezuela also recently protested a licence for oil exploration granted by Guyana in the sea within the area that Venezuela regards as part of the unresolved border dispute.
“The government of Guyana and its ruling elite continue to act as brazenly as employees of Exxon Mobil, and have handed over their sovereignty and independence to this US company, with the pretension of appropriating natural resources that do not belong to them,” the Venezualan government said in a communique.
Venezuela has long claimed Guyana’s Essequibo area as part of its territory, but this has been challenged by respective governments of Guyana.
The current government of Guyana under President Hirshan Ali said in a statement: “This amounts to nothing less than the annexation of Guyana’s territory, in blatant violation of the most fundamental rules of the UN Charter, the OAS Charter and general international law. Such a seizure of Guyana’s territory would constitute the international crime of aggression.”
The issue dates back to the 1899 frontier division between then-British Guiana and Venezuela and efforts to date to find a resolution have been unsuccessful despite long-drawn-out diplomatic and legal intervention at the international level.
With Venezuela’s economy crippled despite its wealth of oil reserves, the recent oil discoveries in English-speaking Guyana led by the American oil giant Exxon-Mobil and others have been rapidly and massively transforming that country’s economy.
President Nicolas Maduro has been stated as saying that “imperialist countries and transnationals such as ExxonMobil intend to violate the historical and legal rights of Venezuela, and we are responding at all levels.”
Guyana had previously filed an application instituting proceedings against Venezuela with the International Court of Justice(ICJ) in 2018 but Venezuela had challenged the authority of the ICJ to arbitrate over the matter. The ICJ has ruled that it has jurisdiction over the issue.
Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali in welcoming the decision said it means the court is moving forward with a final, binding determination to establish a “standing boundary” with Venezuela and tagged that Guyana is committed to a “peaceful resolution.”
However, the next step in the controversy will be determined by the outcome of the December 3rd referendum in Venezuela and its territorial claim to two-thirds of Caricom member state Guyana.
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