Venezuela reaffirmed the Geneva Agreement as the only valid legal instrument to resolve the Guayana Essequiba dispute, marking the 60th anniversary with a strong defense of sovereignty.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela forcefully reaffirmed the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the sole valid and existing legal instrument to resolve the territorial dispute over Guayana Essequiba, rejecting unilateral actions by Guyana.

The nation commemorated on this Tuesday, February 17, the 60th anniversary of its signing, underscoring its unwavering commitment to a just and mutually satisfactory solution.

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The Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez highlighted that this treaty, officially deposited with the United Nations (UN), effectively nullified the fraudulent 1899 Paris Arbitral Award. This arbitral decision had been historically denounced as an imperialist scheme orchestrated by the United Kingdom, which unjustly deprived Venezuela of a vast portion of its territory.

Geneva Accord’s Rights

The Geneva Agreement mandates both nations to engage in direct negotiations to achieve a practical and mutually acceptable settlement, thereby reaffirming Venezuela’s historical rights over 159,542 square kilometers of territory that have been an integral part of the country since the establishment of the Captaincy General.

The document, signed in Switzerland on February 17, 1966, stands as a pivotal international instrument registered before the UN, designed to address the border controversy between Venezuela and then-British Guiana. This accord reasserted the Venezuelan claim to recover the land expropriated through the fraudulent 1899 Paris Arbitral Award, a process that even attorney Severo Mallet-Prevost exposed as a procedural fraud.

By subscribing to this agreement, both parties agreed to declare that imperial ruling null and void, committing themselves to finding a practical and satisfactory solution through direct negotiation, acknowledging the territory as an integral part of Venezuela since the era of the Captaincy General.

Text reads: “We celebrate today, with joy and patriotic fervor, the 60th anniversary of the signing of the 1966 Geneva Agreement, the only valid legal instrument for reaching a mutually acceptable solution to the territorial dispute over Guayana Essequiba. The Sun of Venezuela is born in the Essequibo!”

Sovereignty Dispute

Venezuelan diplomacy has consistently pointed out Guyana’s attempts to internationalize the conflict through an unlawful lawsuit before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), an institution which Venezuela maintains lacks jurisdiction to settle this territorial dispute.

Furthermore, the Venezuelan Government has strongly criticized Guyana’s granting of illicit concessions in the Stabroek block, located in waters pending delimitation. This action constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and poses a threat to regional stability, directly contravening the peace agreements signed in Argyle during 2023.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil had emphasized that the path of mutual understanding between two sovereign nations remains the only viable way to overcome this unfortunate legacy of the imperialist period. In accordance with the popular mandate expressed in the December 3, 2023, referendum, where 95% of voters rejected the ICJ’s jurisdiction, Venezuela unequivocally reaffirmed that it will never renounce its sovereign titles.

Over these six decades, Venezuela has consistently demonstrated its commitment to peace and good faith, even following the 1970 Protocol of Port of Spain, which aimed to improve relations with the newly independent Cooperative Republic of Guyana. However, the Guyanese Government has chosen to disregard the spirit of the treaty, particularly since 2015, after the discovery of oil deposits by the transnational corporation ExxonMobil.

This company has financed campaigns to present Venezuela as an alleged aggressor country, pressuring to internationalize the conflict.

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