Guyana reaffirms confidence in International Court of Justice

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — President Irfaan Ali says Guyana remains confident that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will rule in its favour in the decades-old border dispute with Venezuela. Oral hearings in the territorial controversy concluded on May 11 and Guyana’s case affirming the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award is now fully before the ICJ with a final, binding ruling expected early in the new year. In June, the Ali administration said all that remains to be done is for the ICJ to deliberate, draft its judgment and deliver it in a public session, a process the ICJ has historically completed within six to eight months of the close of hearings. “We are hoping that early in the new year, there will be a ruling at the ICJ; we are very confident,” Ali said in an interview with the international broadcaster Al Jazeera. Ali said beyond the ruling the focus turns to “building a relationship and ensuring that the region remains strong, stable, secure, and that both countries can advance its economic potential and opportunity in an environment that is free from fear”. The case, filed by Guyana in 2018, seeks the court’s confirmation that the 1899 Award and the boundary it established between then-British Guiana and Venezuela is valid and binding under international law. The ICJ has twice affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the matter, ruling in 2020 that it had authority over the case and dismissing a further Venezuelan objection in 2023. The court has also twice granted Guyana’s requests for provisional measures, most recently ordering Venezuela in 2025 not to proceed with elections in the disputed Essequibo region. Venezuela’s representatives maintained their rejection of the court’s authority during the May hearings, arguing their territorial position predates and stands apart from the ICJ process. But Ali, asked about Caracas’s position during his interview, replied: “Those are words that we have heard many times, but we know the fact and the truth in relation to the 1899 Award, and the court is going to determine the merits of words and facts.” On whether Guyana is bracing for continued resistance from Venezuela regardless of the outcome, Ali said, “I wouldn’t say we are bracing, but we are prepared for any reaction to the court ruling.” “We are very conscious of these words…notwithstanding the fact that Venezuela has participated fully in every aspect of the case before the ICJ,” President Ali said, adding that  the United States continues to play an important role in supporting regional stability and that Georgetown’s relationship with Washington remains unchanged and rooted in principle.