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Venezuela Rejects ICJ Essequibo Case, Calls It ‘Legal Absurdity’
(MENAFN) Venezuela’s acting president Delcy Rodriguez appeared before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday, strongly rejecting the legal proceedings over the disputed Essequibo region and describing the case as a “legal absurdity,” according to reports.
Rodriguez used her appearance in The Hague to restate Caracas’s position on the long-running territorial dispute with Guyana, insisting that Venezuela holds full sovereignty over the oil- and resource-rich territory of roughly 160,000 square kilometers.
She addressed the issue through a state television broadcast from the Netherlands, reaffirming that Venezuela considers itself the sole legitimate authority over the region and rejecting the court’s role in resolving the dispute.
“The United Kingdom prevented our access to evidentiary sources and destroyed evidence, granting access only to Guyana,” she claimed, while presenting Venezuela’s legal arguments before the UN court.
Rodriguez also warned that any ruling from the ICJ would not resolve the conflict, arguing instead that it could deepen tensions.
Before the court, she said that a judicial decision would not produce a final or mutually acceptable outcome and suggested it would only entrench both sides further in their positions.
The Venezuelan leader stated that the country has submitted thousands of pages of documentation to support its claim, maintaining that historical evidence supports its position while questioning the legitimacy of colonial-era arbitration decisions.
She also reaffirmed Venezuela’s rejection of the 1899 Arbitral Award that originally set the border in favor of what is now Guyana, arguing instead that the 1966 Geneva Agreement should guide any resolution.
Caracas has long maintained that the Essequibo dispute should be solved through direct negotiation rather than international adjudication, while Guyana has sought a binding ruling from the ICJ.
The case, which concerns a territory that makes up a significant portion of Guyana and is believed to be rich in oil and minerals, remains one of South America’s most sensitive territorial disputes.
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