Last Updated on July 2, 2020, 7:43 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The International Court of Justice held its very first virtual hearing on Tuesday and addressed a territorial dispute between the nations of Guyana and Venezuela.
Guyana argued that the boundary between the nations had been clarified by the Arbitral Award of 1899, on the other hand, Venezuela said that the award was an “Anglo-Russian conspiracy.”
Guyana took the case to the ICJ as it seeks to enforce the demarcation of the nation’s border with Venezuela.
The area at issue is located towards the west of Guyana’s Essequibo River. The discovery of oil off the coast of Guyana has sparked a debate between both the nations over the line in recent years.
Currently, the ICJ is considering whether it has jurisdiction to decide the case on the merits.
The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, wrote a letter to the court, which was read aloud.
In the letter, Maduro commented because Venezuela does not accept the jurisdiction of the court, they will not be participating.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres referred the case to the ICJ in 2018. Tensions further escalated when Venezuela’s navy seized an oil research ship in 2013 and approached another in 2018.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
