Biden Administration Reaffirms Support for Guyana's Sovereignty Amid Border Dispute with Venezuela
December 7, 2023
The Biden administration reiterates its support for Guyana's sovereignty and calls for a peaceful resolution of the land boundary dispute with Venezuela. The US also looks forward to working closely with Guyana in the future.
Washington – The Biden administration has reaffirmed its “unwavering support” for Guyana’s sovereignty, reiterating Washington’s call for a peaceful resolution of the land boundary dispute between Guyana and Venezuela.
The US Department of State on Wednesday said that Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, spoke with Guyanese President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, during which Blinken called for “all parties to respect the 1899 arbitral award determining the land boundary between Venezuela and Guyana, unless, or until, the parties reach a new agreement, or a competent legal body decides otherwise.
“Secretary Blinken and President Ali noted the International Court of Justice order issued on December 1, which called for parties to refrain from any action that might aggravate or extend the dispute,” said the State Department in a statement.
“The Secretary reiterated that the United States looks forward to working closely with Guyana once it assumes its non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council in January 2024,” it added. “The two leaders concluded the call by agreeing upon the importance of maintaining a peaceful and democratic Western Hemisphere.”
On Wednesday, the Guyana government said it plans to take the border issue with Venezuela to the United Nations (UN) after it described “unsettling developments” in relation to the “unlawful claim by Caracas to the mineral rich Essequibo region in Guyana”.
In a radio and television broadcast, Ali said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday night “announced several measures which his government intends to take in enforcing the outcome of the referendum held on December 3, 2023.”
“As I made clear from the date the referendum was first announced, this is a direct threat to Guyana’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence, and in violation of fundamental principles of international law enshrined in the UN and OAS (Organization of American States) Charters,” Ali said.
Maduro announced that foreign companies working in the disputed Guyanese county of Essequibo would have to withdraw within three months, asserting his right to do so after Venezuelan voters backed the December 3 referendum seeking ownership of the area. (CMC)
