ICJ’s verdict won’t matter to Venezuela- President Delcy Rodríguez
May 12 2026
Venezuela has once again signalled that it has no intention of stepping away from its claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region, with Interim President Delcy Rodríguez using her appearance before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to reaffirm Caracas’ long-standing position on the border controversy.
Rodríguez addressed the World Court on Monday during the final day of oral submissions in the ongoing Guyana-Venezuela border case, where Guyana is seeking a final ruling validating the 1899 Arbitral Award that established the boundary between the two countries and confirmed the Essequibo as part of Guyanese territory.
However, Venezuela maintained before the court that it does not recognize the ICJ as the body with authority to settle the matter. Instead, Caracas continues to argue that the controversy should be resolved through negotiations under the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
During her submission, Rodríguez said the Venezuelan people had already given their government a clear mandate through the December 3, 2023 referendum to defend what Venezuela describes as its territorial integrity and reject judicial mechanisms as the path to resolving the dispute.
She further told the court that Venezuelans had instructed their government to uphold the Geneva Agreement as the only legitimate framework for addressing the Essequibo controversy, insisting that direct negotiations between the two countries remain necessary and unavoidable.
Rodríguez also argued that the Geneva Agreement effectively moved the issue beyond debates surrounding whether the 1899 Arbitral Award was valid or invalid.
Guyana, however, has consistently maintained that the 1899 Award is legally binding and that the Essequibo region forms part of its sovereign territory.
Georgetown views the case before the ICJ as a critical step toward bringing finality to a controversy that has persisted for decades.
The Essequibo region remains at the centre of the dispute due to its vast size, natural resources, and strategic importance. While Venezuela continues to claim the territory, Guyana maintains that the border was settled more than a century ago and must be respected under international law.
