Indian High Commissioner urges Venezuela to uphold Argyle Declaration, avoid provocative actions over Essequibo

…says once Guyana’s support is requested, India is ready

India has called on Venezuela to honour its commitments under the Argyle Declaration and refrain from any provocative actions, including holding elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region as planned for May 25, 2025.
Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr Amit Telang, emphasised that the issue of the border controversy is already before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and reiterated that the matter should be settled peacefully and in accordance with international law.
“Our position is that they (Venezuela) should strictly abide with that declaration, which is again, the position of the Government of Guyana, and avoid taking any actions which are against the spirit of the declaration, which includes of course, also the election. So, of course, any action which is being taken which is against that declaration is not something that we will support”.
“The matter is already in the International Court of Justice,” Dr Telang stated. “The Government of Guyana has provided its positions… and made it clear that they will respect whatever judgment would come from the ICJ.”
Back in December 2023, Presidents Irfaan Ali of Guyana and Nicolás 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 United Nations (UN).
Key provisions of the Argyle Declaration include 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.
Despite the provisions, Venezuela continues to use aggressive tactics against Guyana, including plans to unlawfully 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. When asked whether India would support Guyana in the event of Venezuelan aggression, the High Commissioner said India’s assistance would be based on an official request from the Guyanese Government.
“It depends on what kind of support the Government of Guyana wants from us,” Dr Telang explained. “We are strong partners and we will continue to support Guyana.” Pressed for specifics, he declined to speculate on the nature of potential support, saying, “I would not like to comment on a hypothetical situation. Let us wait… but once support is requested, India is ready.”
India and Guyana share strong diplomatic ties, with India having supported Guyana across a range of sectors, including health, education, and energy. The High Commissioner reiterated India’s commitment to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within the bounds of international law.

GDF mobilised
Nevertheless, President Dr Irfaan Ali had reaffirmed that the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is mobilised and prepared to defend the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amid ongoing tensions with Venezuela.
The Head of State emphasised that security operations are actively underway, particularly in light of Venezuela’s upcoming elections and continued claims over Guyana’s Essequibo region — claims which Guyana has consistently rejected and challenged through international legal avenues.
Further, when asked at a media event about whether the border is being monitored more closely ahead of Venezuela’s election, President Ali responded, “Definitely. I can’t go into details, but I can assure you that we, along with our partners, are engaged in continuous analysis and monitoring, especially in areas close to the borders.”
The Guyanese leader’s remarks follow the ICJ’s recent order that Venezuela must refrain from conducting or preparing to conduct elections Guyana’s Essequibo region – two thirds of the country’s landmass.
A day after the order was issued, the Guyana Government had expressed its expectation that Venezuela will act responsibly and comply with the recent orders issued by the ICJ, refraining the Spanish-speaking nation from holding elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region.
“The Government of Guyana expects that the Government of Venezuela will act responsibly in complying with the Court’s Orders of both 1 December 2023 and 1 May 2025 which are legally binding on both States, and in so complying, fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Georgetown said in a statement.
Back in January, 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 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, issued an order on Thursday that Venezuela must refrain from conducting or preparing to conduct elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region.
It also reaffirmed the provisional measures issued by the Court on December 1, 2023, which states that “…Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Co-operative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area; and (2) Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.” However, the Venezuelan Government had said no international pressure, judicial blackmail or foreign court could make it back down, and called on Guyana to engage in direct negotiation and comply with the Geneva Agreement.
In response to Caracas, the Foreign Ministry called Venezuela’s reaction to the additional provisional measures issued by the World Court “unfortunate” and shut down, once again, any idea of bilateral talks between the two neighbouring states.
In fact, the Foreign Ministry went onto remind Venezuela that the case pending before the ICJ is a decision of the UN Secretary General in accordance with the 1966 Geneva Agreement on the settlement of the controversy – an Agreement to which both Guyana and Venezuela are parties.
According to the Foreign Ministry, “The Court’s judgment will be definitive, final and binding on Guyana and Venezuela. The Government of Guyana urges the Government of Venezuela to do more than pay lip service to the Geneva Agreement, and to actually comply with its provisions, including but not limited to Article IV (2). Essequibo is Guyana’s.”
After years of failed good offices process through the UN, and based on the recommendation of the-then UN Secretary General (SG), 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. Guyana has pledged to accept the ICJ’s Judgment whatever it might be.