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Guyana–Venezuela relations

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Guyana–Venezuela relations
Map indicating locations of Guyana and Venezuela

Guyana
Venezuela

Guyana–Venezuela relations include diplomatic, economic and other interactions between the neighboring countries of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Border dispute

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Main article: Guayana Esequiba
See also: Guyana–Venezuela crisis (2023–present) and 2023 Venezuelan referendum

Guyana and Venezuela have a long history of debate surrounding their border. In 1897, the matter was taken to international arbitration.[1]

Venezuela claimed more than half of the territory of the British colony of Guyana at the time of the Latin American wars of independence. Guyana argues that the boundary between the nations was clarified in the Arbitral Award of 1899 signed by Guyana, whereas Venezuela called the award an "Anglo-Russian conspiracy".[2] In 1962 Venezuela declared that it would no longer abide by the arbitration decision, which ceded mineral-rich territory in the Orinoco basin to Guyana. The disputed area is called "Guayana Esequiba" by Venezuela. A border commission was set up in 1966 with representatives from Guyana, Venezuela and the United Kingdom, but failed to reach agreement. Venezuela vetoed Guyana's bid to become a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1967. In 1969 Venezuela backed an abortive uprising in the disputed area.

Under intense diplomatic pressure, Venezuela agreed in 1970 to a 12-year moratorium on the dispute with the Protocol of Port-of-Spain. In 1981, Venezuela refused to renew the protocol. However, with changes to the governments of both countries, relations improved, to the extent that Venezuela sponsored Guyana's 1990 bid for OAS membership.[3][4]

Venezuela and British Guayana (Guyana) in 1775, according to Spanish cartography.

In 1999 tensions flared up once more as Venezuelan troops inundated the border areas, inciting protests in Georgetown.[5] In 2007, Guyana claimed Venezuelan troops destroyed Guyanese gold-mining dredges by the border.[6]

In 2013 the Venezuelan navy seized an oil exploration vessel operating in disputed waters claimed as Exclusive Economic Zones by both Venezuela and Guyana.[7] In taking the case to the ICJ, Guyana looks to authorize the division of the area with Venezuela. The zone at issue is west of Guyana's Essequibo River. The disclosure of oil off the coast has started a discussion among Guyana and Venezuela over the border itself with both claiming the area.[2]

The dispute was taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2018.[8] Venezuela did not participate in the hearing that was held on 30 June 2020, arguing that the ICJ did not have jurisdiction.[9] In September 2020, the United States announced that it would join Guyana on sea patrols in the area.[10] UN Secretary-General António Guterres alluded the case to the ICJ in 2018. Pressures additionally heightened when Venezuela's naval force held onto an oil research transport in 2013 and moved toward another in 2018.[2]

The demarcated border for Venezuela and British Guiana that was made legally binding in 1905 following the Arbitral Award of 1899. It established the first and only accepted boundary between Spanish-speaking Venezuela and its Anglophone counterpart.

On 21 January 2021, 12 fishermen were detained by Venezuelan naval troops operated in the Waini River, arbitrated to be inside Guyanese territory. The prisoners were to be detained for 45 days "pending investigation". All fisherman were released from custody by 3 February.[11][12]

In September 2022, the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro published a photo of the Kaieteur Falls, the world's largest single-drop waterfall and Guyana's main tourist attraction, on social media with a map including Essequibo in Venezuela. Many Guyanese demanded that Facebook and Twitter remove the "illegal and offensive publications".

American multinational ExxonMobil and its commercial partners have discovered 46 oil fields in Guyana since 2015. In 2023 alone, four oil fields were found off the coast of Guyana, of which the latest one was announced in October 2023 and whose location was in the disputed Essequibo region, which makes up more than two thirds of Guyana's current total territory.[13]

In April 2023, the International Court of Justice ruled that it has jurisdiction over the dispute in a lawsuit filed by Guyana in 2018.[14]

In a December 2023 referendum for Venezuelan voters, 95% voted to claim the Essequibo region.[15][16][17] The Venezuelan National Electoral Council reported a voter turnout of 10.5 million voters out of 20.6 million eligible people, meaning that more people participated in the referendum than voted for Hugo Cháves in 2012.[18][19] The validity of this figure has been questioned by Reuters witnesses and The Associated Press, as the local voting centers seemed to not reflect this turnout.[17][19] The electoral authority purportedly posted and later deleted a photo showing 2 million votes for each of the five question, suggesting a turnout of 10%. Intelligence collected by Guyana suggested a turnout of fewer than 1.5 million people. [20]

In October 2023, it was reported that the Venezuelan military was building a runway near the border with Guyana's Essequibo "to develop" the region. Guyana's president Irfaan Ali responded by saying the country will not give up "an inch" of the region.[21]

In November 2023, Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Anthony Phillips took the case to the Organization of American States (OAS) where he accused Venezuela of a military buildup near the Essequibo border, and warned of the consequences of it for Guyana's sovereignty. OAS' Secretary-General Luis Almagro, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and the United States government expressed their support for Guyana.[22] Additionally Guyana asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an "urgent" injunction to block Venezuela's incoming referendum, which the Court agreed to hear about on 1 December. No hearing dates were set, however, for the main dispute.[23][24][25]

Trade

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In 2019, Venezuela exported US$8.96 million worth of goods to Guyana which consisted mainly refined petroleum. In 2019, Guyana exported US$73.9 million to Venezuela which consisted mainly of rice.[26]

Ambassadors

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Guyanese ambassadors to Venezuela

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Venezuelan ambassadors to Guyana

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  • Reina Margarita Arratia Díaz, 2015[32]
  • Patrick Hossain, honorary consul, 2017[33]
  • Luis Edgardo Diaz Monclus, active in 2021[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Venezuela – Venezuela and Guyana". country-data.com. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Griffith, Ivelaw Lloyd (28 October 2020). "Elections and the Imperatives of Geopolitical Neighborhoods". Report – via JSTOR.
  3. ^ "Relations with Venezuela". U.S. Library of Congress. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  4. ^ "The Trail Of Diplomacy". Guyana News and Information. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  5. ^ Johnston, Tim (27 November 1999). "Tensions rising in Venezuela–Guyana territorial dispute". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2021 – via Latin American Studies.
  6. ^ "Guyana Claims Venezuela Blew Up Dredges". Associated Press. 16 November 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2021 – via LexisNexis.
  7. ^ Sanchez, Fabiola (13 October 2013). "Venezuela navy escorts seized oil vessel into port". ap.org. Associated Press. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  8. ^ "Guyana lleva a Venezuela a la Corte Internacional de Justicia de La Haya en la disputa por el territorio del Esequibo". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). BBC. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Guyana asks World Court to confirm border with Venezuela". Reuters. Reuters. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  10. ^ "U.S., Guyana to launch joint maritime patrols near disputed Venezuela border". Yahoo! News. Reuters. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Guyanese fishermen charged in Venezuela". Guyanese Chronicle. 26 January 2021.
  12. ^ "UPDATE 2 –Venezuela says it has released detained Guyanese fishermen". Reuters. 3 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Guyana finds more oil in waters claimed by neighbour Venezuela". Jamaica Observer. 26 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  14. ^ van den Berg, Stephanie; Buitrago, Deisy (6 April 2023). "World Court says it can rule on Guyana-Venezuela border dispute". Reuters. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Venezuelans to vote in referendum on territorial dispute with Guyana, minister says". Reuters. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Venezuela sets referendum date on territory dispute with Guyana". Reuters. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  17. ^ a b Buitrago, Deisy (3 December 2023). "Venezuelan voters reject ICJ jurisdiction in dispute with Guyana". Reuters.
  18. ^ "Venezuela referendum result: voters back bid to claim sovereignty over large swath of Guyana". The Guardian. 4 December 2023. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Venezuela's government wins vote on claiming part of Guyana, but turnout seems lackluster". AP News. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  20. ^ Taylor, Luke (4 December 2023). "Maduro vote to claim Guyana's territory backfires as Venezuelans stay home". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Venezuela construye pista de aterrizaje cerca del Esequibo". Deutsche Welle (in Spanish). 29 October 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  22. ^ Ferreira, Por Gonzalo (1 November 2023). "Guyana acusó a Venezuela ante la OEA de haber 'aumentado considerablemente sus fuerzas militares' en la frontera". Infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Guyana seeks UN court protection in 'sinister' Venezuela territorial claim". Yahoo! News. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  24. ^ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "UN Court To Hear 'Urgent' Guyana Bid In Venezuela Territorial Dispute". Barrons. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Guyana pide a CIJ frenar referendo de Esequibo en Venezuela". Deutsche Welle (in Spanish). 1 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
  26. ^ "Venezuela/Guyana". Observatory of Economic Complexity. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Foreign Policy... Diplomacy without diplomats?". Stabroek News. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Embassy of Guyana in Washington, DC mourns passing of Dr. Odeen Ishmael". Co-operative Republic of Guyana: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  29. ^ "Geoffrey Da Silva to be new ambassador to Venezuela". Stabroek News. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  30. ^ "Miles finally accredited as ambassador in Venezuela". Stabroek News. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  31. ^ "Greenidge confirms recall of ambassador to Venezuela". Stabroek News. 14 December 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Cheryl Miles preparing to take up Venezuela post". Stabroek News. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Career diplomat Cheryl Miles brings 'LatAm' experience to bear in Venezuela". Stabroek News. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Guyana issues 'Protest Note' to Venezuela following fighter jets over Eteringbang". News Room Guyana. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
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