GEORGETOWN, Guyana – France has reiterated its support for Guyana in the ongoing border dispute with Venezuela saying also that Paris is “particularly attached to its partnership with Guyana in light of the many regional challenges we share on the Guyana Shield”.
President Irfaan Ali (left)and President Emmanuel Marcon (File Photo)President Emmanuel Macron in a letter to his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan Ali, extended congratulations on Guyana’s 60th anniversary of political independence from Britain that was observed here earlier this week.
“France is particularly attached to its partnership with Guyana in light of the many regional challenges we share on the Guyana Shield, where we work together in support of peace, cooperation, and respect for human rights.
“Following the opening of the hearings before the International Court of Justice concerning the dispute over the Essequibo region, France reaffirms its commitment to the respect for Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in accordance with international law,” Marcon write.
Venezuela has laid claim to ownership of the Essequibo, a 159,500 square mile mineral and oil-rich territory that makes up roughly two-thirds of Guyana. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the matter, is due to hand down its ruling on the matter after both sides submitted memorials and concluded oral hearings earlier this month.
Guyana brought the case before the ICJ in 2018, seeking affirmation that the 1899 Arbitral Award, establishing the boundary between the two countries, is legally valid. The award had been accepted for over 60 years before Venezuela declared it null in 1962 and revived its claim to the territory.
The matter is being addressed under the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which outlines mechanisms for a peaceful settlement. After bilateral efforts failed, the dispute was referred to the ICJ by the United Nations Secretary-General.
In his letter, President Marcon said that the opening of the French Embassy in Georgetown last September “has helped to further strengthen the ties between our two countries, and I sincerely hope that we will soon be able to conclude the various draft agreements currently under negotiation in the fields of justice, security and defence”.
