Georgetown – Guyana He remembered Thursday to China that the territorial dispute that it maintains with Venezuela “is pending” in the Court International Justice (CIJ), after the Chinese business manager in that country appealed to negotiations as “solution” to the controversy.
Diplomatic representative Huang Rui said this week that China expects Guyana and Venezuela to resolve the litigation through the Esequibo region through “negotiations”, although he stressed that Beijing “never intervenes in internal affairs of other countries.”
The centenary controversy for that territory of 160,000 km2 rich in oil and natural resources was revived when Exxonmobil discovered huge crude oil deposits in its waters a decade ago.
Guyana “has made clear” its position on “several occasions (…): the matter is pending before the International Court of Justice,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement addressed to the Chinese government.
“China needs to have principles in its position to respect the territorial integrity of Guyana and not appease the series violation of international laws by Maduro,” said Guyanés Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud.
Georgetown, who currently controls the territory, defends that he belongs to him based on an award of 1899 that asked the CIJ ratifying.
Guyana criticizes China
Venezuela rejects this jurisdiction and appeals to an agreement signed in 1966 with the United Kingdom before the Guyanese independence that sat bases for a negotiated solution.
On May 25, Venezuela will hold regional and parliamentary elections and plans to choose Venezuelan authorities for the Esequibo for the first time. The government party nominated Admiral Neil Villamizar, who was commander of the Navy.
The Guyanese Foreign Ministry criticized that China did not pronounce on the matter.
Guyana “has noted that there have been no comments from the Government of the People’s Republic of China” about the “flagrant announcement” of Caracas regarding those elections, said the Foreign Ministry.
