ICJ to rule Thursday on Venezuela’s objections in border case

COME Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will rule on the preliminary objections raised by Venezuela in the case concerning the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899.

The ruling will be handed down at the Peace Palace in The Hague, which is the seat of the court.

Venezuela had raised objections in response to Guyana’s submission of its Memorial on the merits of the case.

Guyana brought the matter to the ICJ in an application submitted on March 28, 2018. The court, in December 2020, confirmed its jurisdiction over the case, rejecting Venezuela’s objections.

Then on March 8, 2022,

Guyana filed its Memorial on the merits of its case against Venezuela in accordance with the court’s March 8, 2021 order.

Venezuela in June 2022 filed preliminary objections to the admissibility of Guyana’s application to the court to determine the validity of the award.

In accordance with its rules, the court suspended the proceedings on its merits until determination of the preliminary objections.

The ruling will be streamed live in English on the court’s website and on UN Web TV.

Guyana maintains that a judicial settlement of the matter is the only recourse remaining as it has exhausted all other measures.

As recently as October 4, 2022, the United States government reaffirmed the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award and solidified its support for a “peaceful resolution” of the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy through the proper court, if there is any deviation from that Award.

Guyana is seeking to obtain a final and binding judgement that the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the location of the land boundary between then British Guiana and Venezuela, remains valid, and that the Essequibo region belongs to Guyana, and not Venezuela.