Venezuela border controversy: US reiterates full support for Guyana

…urges respect for Guyana’s territorial integrity

The United States (US), through Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs Daniel Erickson, has reaffirmed its support for Guyana in its territorial controversy with Venezuela, a position that Erickson revealed comes directly from US President Joe Biden.
On Tuesday, Erickson, who once served as the Western Hemisphere policy lead for President Biden’s transition and as a special advisor to then-Vice President Biden, held virtual strategic discussions with top officials from Guyana.

During those discussions, Erickson spoke about the strength of relations between the United States and Guyana. Erickson also reaffirmed American support for Guyana in its border controversy with Venezuela.
While the US has long supported Guyana against Venezuela’s efforts to unjustly claim Essequibo for itself, on this occasion Erickson said that this directive came directly from US President Joe Biden.
“In addition to the economic challenges, we also recognise that Guyana faces external challenges. I do want to reiterate once again, and this comes directly from President Biden himself, that the United States fully supports Guyana’s territorial integrity.”
“As we know, our longstanding policy is that the current border between Guyana and Venezuela should be respected, until the parties reach a new agreement or the international court of justice issues a final decision. We remain fully committed to that policy,” Erickson explained.
According to Erickson, the US remains committed to growing its ties with Guyana, whether they be on a commercial basis or further support for Guyana’s efforts to modernise its defense capacity.
“The United States is well positioned to support Guyana, as you continue to expand your civilian defense institutions, whether through Karate training, our international military education training programmes or by assisting the modernisation efforts, the United States can help Guyana improve your existing defense capabilities,” the official said.

It was only in April of this year that US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer had also affirmed to President Dr Irfaan Ali, the US’ unwavering support for Guyana in its border spat.
According to a readout from the White House, the two officials spoke on the phone to “discuss regional security and stability”, talked about ways to deepen the bilateral relationship between Guyana and the US, and discussed other shared priorities, including energy security and climate change.
During that phone call, Finer reaffirmed the US’ “unwavering support” for Guyana’s sovereignty in light of threats from neighbouring Venezuela, which is laying claim to the Essequibo, two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass, and to a portion of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where oil production and exploration activities are being conducted.
The phone call between the two officials followed Finer’s visit to Guyana back in February as part of efforts to continue US cooperation with regional partners on issues of mutual interest, including democratic governance, economic stability, and regional security.
During that one-day visit to Georgetown, Finer, who was accompanied by the National Security Council’s Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere, Juan González, had met with President Ali and senior security officials in the Guyana Government.
Guyana has consistently received support from all members of the ABC countries- US, the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. Support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to serve as the final decision-making forum on the controversy has also come from the European Union, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Commonwealth.
The case is currently before the ICJ, with Guyana and Venezuela given until December 9, 2024 and August 11, 2025 respectively, to make a second round of written submissions. While both sides had agreed that a second round of written pleadings were necessary, the two sides differed on the time period to submit them.
Guyana had proposed a six-month period from April, while Venezuela had requested a 12-month period. Venezuela had claimed that the 12-month period was necessary given the case’s complexity. This, however, was in spite of the ICJ’s procedural rules which generally favor shorter time limits. Guyana’s side argued that this request was excessive.
The case has been before the ICJ since it was brought there in 2018 by Guyana, after the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Gutterres forwarded the case to the world court, as per the procedure adumbrated in the Geneva Agreement. The Secretary-General chose the ICJ as the means to resolve the controversy legally, in keeping with the dispute mechanism outlined by Art 33 of the UN Charter.
Guyana submitted its memorial since March 2022, with Venezuela given until April 2024 to submit its own counter-memorial. It did so on the very last day. This came after two attempts by Venezuela to challenge the court’s jurisdiction to hear the matter, had been overturned. (G3)