Nicolás Maduro reiterated this Wednesday, days before the regional elections in Venezuela, his “unwavering” will to “completely recover” the Essequibo, a territory he claims as part of his country, despite international rulings that give sovereignty to Guyana.
“Our unwavering will to recover the historical and territorial rights, and beyond, of the Essequibo,” began the Chavista dictator during an event, before pointing out that, in line with this desire, this Sunday, May 25, Venezuelans “are going to elect, for the first time in history” a governor, deputies, and a legislative council for the area.
“We will fully recover” the Essequibo, “stripped by the British empire and its heir”, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Maduro promised.
Likewise, he took the opportunity to once again attack President Irfaan Ali and his cabinet, whom he accused of being “slave foremen” of the United States and the oil company ExxonMobil, which operates in the disputed area thanks to a license issued by Georgetown.
“The truth always triumphs and we are (…) the truth,” he concluded confidently.
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Maduro’s words were given at a moment of high tension between the parties, given that, after months of intimidation and threats, Chavismo is preparing to finally, this Sunday, hold elections from which authorities will emerge for the zone it claims as its own.
Ali, who has been condemning this advance of the Venezuelan regime over his country for some time, insisted in the last few hours that it does not matter how many elections the counterpart holds, “Guyana is not prepared for a single inch to be given or ceded, now or never.”
Despite “Venezuela’s arrogance and constant disregard for international law, (we will) do everything possible to guarantee the integrity of sovereignty and territory,” based primarily on diplomacy, support from the international community, and the capacity for self-defense, he added in this regard.
“Our order to the ambassador of Guyana in Venezuela, Richard van West-Charles, is to ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana, and our position is well recognized by all stakeholders,” he said.
The dispute over the border limits of the Essequibo dates back to the Paris Arbitration Award of 1899, which gave sovereignty of the territory to the then British Guiana.
However, faced with disagreement over the ruling, in 1966 Venezuela declared the resolution null and signed the Geneva Agreement with the United Kingdom, in which it defined the creation of a commission to resolve the historic controversy, although it never materialized.
In the midst of these crossings, Ali repeatedly turned to international organizations to request intervention in defense of its sovereignty, given Caracas’ persistent willingness to take the territory.
Thus, both the Caribbean Community and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have urged the Miraflores Palace to refrain from taking measures that could escalate the situation, including the call for elections, although the regime responded that, as it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the international court, “it will not abide by any decision emanating from it”.
The UN also warned that this stance led to a “significant increase in the serious risk that Venezuela acquires and exercises” its control and administration over the region by force, and again urged de-escalation.
