Guyana ready to defend every square inch of its territory – Pres Ali

– pledges full support of Govt to GDF in border areas

President Dr Irfaan Ali has assured that Guyana stands ready to defend every square inch of its territory, lauding the role played by the brave men and women of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and making it clear that the country stands behind them and they will receive all the support they need.

President Ali, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, was present at a breakfast with GDF ranks stationed in Essequibo on Saturday. While there, he hailed their patriotism and commitment to defending Guyana’s territorial integrity.
“I know of our troops who will be at different locations at our borders, under different circumstances and challenges, but they do so with pride, they do so with honour, and they do so with dignity; knowing their cause is much larger than their posting.”
“So, to all of you, we want you to know that your service is not only something personal, your service is national. Your service is patriotic. Your service is marked with the pride of the ultimate definition of who you are as Guyanese,” the President said.
President Ali also assured them that the country stood behind them, and that as Commander in Chief, he would also support them. And in a pointed message, the President made it clear that Guyana is ready to defend its territory against those seeking to destabilise and breach regional peace.

“Today, as your Commander-in-Chief, on behalf of a grateful nation, I once again salute all of you for your bravery, your sacrifice and your unshakable commitment to nationhood. And whilst you are on the front line in uniform, I want to assure you that behind you on every single line [and] in the blood of every Guyanese, is the readiness to support any and every effort necessary to ensure those that seek to destabilise the peace in our region, those that seek seek to threaten us – if they become ambitious, and if they become excursionary – that we, together, as a people… are ready in defence of every square inch of our country,” President Ali added.
The President’s visit to Essequibo comes one day ahead of Venezuela’s planned fictitious election for a Governor of Guyana’s Essequibo territory.
In January 2025, the Nicolás Maduro regime had announced plans to hold elections in the Essequibo region, which is two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass, on May 25, 2025 – something which Guyana wrote the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in March to have blocked.
The World Court, which is hearing the case to settle the decades-long border controversy between the two South American neighbours, subsequently issued an order that Venezuela must refrain from conducting or preparing to conduct elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region.
After years of failed good offices process through the United Nations (UN), and based on the recommendation of the-then UN Secretary General, Guyana approached the World Court in March 2018, seeking a final and binding settlement of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which determined the land boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.
The case is currently pending before the ICJ, which has already established its jurisdiction to hear the matter. Guyana has already filed two written pleadings on the merits, and Venezuela has filed one, with its second pleading due in August 2025. Oral hearings are expected in the first half of 2026, following which the Court will deliberate on the case and issue its final judgment on the Merits, which will be binding on the parties.
Back in December 2023, Presidents Ali of Guyana and Maduro of Venezuela signed the Argyle Declaration in Argyle, St Vincent and the Grenadines. This agreement was facilitated by regional leaders, including Prime Ministers Ralph Gonsalves of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, with support from CARICOM, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Brazil, and the UN.
Key provisions of the Argyle Declaration had included a commitment to non-aggression, the peaceful resolution framework and the establishment of a joint commission comprising Foreign Ministers and technical experts from both countries was to be formed to address mutually agreed matters.