Guyana welcomes Venezuela’s rejoinder submission border controversy case

…as World Court prepares for 2026 hearings

The Government of Guyana has welcomed the filing by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela of its Rejoinder in the border controversy before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The submission, made on Monday, August 11, 2025, marks the final written stage in the high-profile case concerning the validity of the Arbitral Award of October 3, 1899, which established the boundary between the two countries.
This was confirmed by the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry via official statement.
The ICJ confirmed that Venezuela’s Rejoinder was filed within the time limit set in its Order of June 14, 2024. This filing responds to Guyana’s Reply, which was lodged in December 2024, and brings the exchange of written pleadings to a close.
In line with its procedures, the Court will, after its summer recess, set dates for oral hearings on the merits of the case. Once these hearings are completed, the ICJ will deliberate and deliver its final judgment, which will be binding on both nations under international law.
Guyana, in its statement, expressed satisfaction with Venezuela’s compliance, noting that the Court will now have before it “all the factual and legal arguments of both Parties” when rendering its decision. The Government said this would ensure the ruling is “fully authoritative and incontestable.”
Reaffirming its long-standing position, Guyana stressed its unwavering commitment to resolving the decades-old controversy peacefully and in full accordance with international law, through the ICJ, described as “the world’s highest and most respected judicial authority.”
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. 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.
Guyana has pledged to accept the ICJ’s Judgment.
Guyana and Venezuela signed the historic Argyle Declaration, a December 14, 2023 pact, but Venezuela had continued to use aggressive tactics against Guyana, including plans to elect a Governor and legislative council of “Guayana Esequiba State”, which is the name the Spanish-speaking nation has given to Guyana’s Essequibo region.
In its Thursday, May 1, 2025 Orders, The Hague, Netherlands-based World Court stated that, “…Pending a final decision in the case, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela shall refrain from conducting elections, or preparing to conduct elections, in the territory in dispute, which the Co-operative Republic of Guyana currently administers and over which it exercises control …[And] Unanimously, reaffirms the provisional measures indicated in its Order of 1 December 2023, which should be immediately and effectively implemented…”