US declares support for Guyana against Venezuela’s planned referendum

…as Commonwealth expresses steadfast support for sovereignty, territorial integrity of Guyana

Support continues to mount for Guyana against Venezuela’s planned referendum that seeks to annex Guyana’s territory in the Essequibo region to itself.
The United States of America has declared its support for Guyana’s sovereign rights. US Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Frank Mora, has informed the hemispheric body of his government’s support for Guyana’s sovereign rights. He was addressing the Permanent Council of the OAS at a special session called following a request by Guyana.
At that session, Guyana’s Prime Minister Mark Phillips highlighted the country’s concerns regarding Venezuela’s planned referendum on the Essequibo region, and also of the Spanish-speaking nation’s increase of military troops near the border.
Sharing remarks afterward, Ambassador Mora expressed, “My Government supports Guyana’s sovereign right to develop its own natural resources.”
The US representative said his Government finds the efforts by Venezuela to infringe upon Guyana’s sovereignty unacceptable.
“The United States supports a peaceful resolution to this issue, whether through the decision of an international judicial body, or agreement of the parties. With this in mind, we call on Venezuela to respect international law, including the 1899 Arbitral Award as well as the ongoing International Court of Justice process between Guyana and Venezuela,” Ambassador Mora declared.
Venezuela renewed its claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region back in 2015, mere days after it was announced that US oil giant ExxonMobil had discovered oil in commercial quantities in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, where there are now proven reserves of more than 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels.

Commonwealth’s deep concern
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth on Wednesday also joined in supporting Guyana against Venezuela’s claim over Guyana’s Essequibo region.
In a statement, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Rt. Hon. Patricia Scotland, KC, expressed “deep concern” at the September 21 decision of the Venezuelan National Assembly to undertake a referendum on December 3, 2023 to claim Essequibo region, which is part of the sovereign territory of Guyana.
“The Commonwealth stands with the Government and people of Guyana and with our partners in Caricom in expressing our concern over the questions in the planned referendum,” SG Scotland said. “And the Commonwealth continues to stand for the rule of law, and reaffirms its firm and steadfast support for the maintenance and preservation of the sovereign and territorial integrity of Guyana, and the unobstructed exercise of its rights to develop the entirety of its territory for the benefit of its people.”
According to the Commonwealth, the five questions approved by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council to be included in the referendum undermine Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. It has added that the Spanish-speaking nation’s intent is also contrary to international law.
Question 5 proposes the creation of a Venezuelan state of Guyana Essequibo and an accelerated plan for giving Venezuelan citizenship and identity cards to the Guyanese population. But the Commonwealth contends that international law prohibits the seizure and annexation by one country of the territory of another.
It said, “The language in these questions contributes to heightened tension, and is a threat to peace and stability in a member state of our Commonwealth Family, and indeed in the wider Caribbean region.”
The international body further reminded that at the last meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Group on Guyana, held on September 17, 2023, unwavering support was reaffirmed for the judicial process underway before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to settle the border controversy between the two countries. The group also continues to encourage Venezuela to participate in that judicial process.
Back in April of this year, the ICJ determined that it had legal jurisdiction over this longstanding issue.
The Commonwealth supports the use of the ICJ to adjudicate on the matter, noting that the referendum to be held one month before Presidential elections in Venezuela goes against the spirit of peaceful dispute resolution.

ICJ Injunction
On Tuesday it was revealed that the Guyana Government has sought the World Court’s intervention to prevent Venezuela from taking actions through its planned referendum to annex Guyana’s Essequibo region.
One of the questions in the referendum that Guyana is seeking an order against is the very first one, which asks the Venezuelan people to reject the boundary between the two countries that was set in the 1899 Arbitral Award following a process of arbitration.
Guyana is also seeking the court’s intervention against question three, which asks the Venezuelan people not to recognise the ICJ’s jurisdiction, even though the court had thrown out Venezuela’s previous attempt to get the court not to accept jurisdiction over the case.
Finally, the court’s intervention is being sought for question five. Question five asks the Venezuelan people to agree to the annexation of Essequibo and the creation of a Venezuelan state. Additionally, Question five seeks the citizens’ approval for, among other things, Venezuela granting citizenship and identity cards to residents of Essequibo.
According to the ICJ, Guyana is also seeking an order from the court that “Venezuela shall not take any actions that are intended to prepare or allow the exercise of sovereignty or de facto control over any territory that was awarded to British Guiana in the 1899 Arbitral Award”; and further, that “Venezuela shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court, or make it more difficult to resolve.”
The Guyana Government on Tuesday explained that the ICJ’s protection against Venezuela’s “sinister plan for seizing Guyanese territory” is urgent. It added that because of the urgency of the matter, Guyana has asked the Court to schedule oral hearings on its request at the earliest possible date in advance of December 3.
In the interim, an extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly in Georgetown is set for Monday, November 6, 2023, where Members of Parliament from both the Government and Opposition are expected to denounce the recent actions by the Government in Caracas.
Over the past few weeks, several regional bodies, including the Caribbean Community (Caricom) and the Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary-General Luis Amalgro, who has already condemned Venezuela’s actions, have called for the Spanish-speaking country to adhere to a peaceful settlement of the border controversy and desist from any aggressive actions.
Moreover, Guyana has been meeting with diplomats from bilateral partner nations in Georgetown to formally inform them of the escalated situation with Venezuela. (G8)