‘The world will stand with Guyana’

GEORGETOWN (CMC):

Guyana Monday reiterated its objections to claims by Venezuela to establishing a Venezuelan state of Guyana Essequibo and an accelerated plan for giving Venezuelan citizenship and identity cards to the Guyanese population, saying “the history and the facts” regarding the border dispute are “overwhelming”.

Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, tabling a motion in the 65-member National Assembly on the border dispute, said the presence of the lawmakers was to send a message to Caracas that “we are here today as a nation united.

”Mr Speaker, the history and the facts are overwhelming. But I have to continue, Mr Speaker, because we have to give the people of Guyana fulsome understanding of this long-standing controversy which Guyana intends to see through to its logical conclusion in the ICJ (International Court of Justice).”

Todd, holding up a map showing the disputed border, said Venezuela had benefited from the Orinoco when it attained 700, 05,640 square kilometres, or 358, 841 square miles from the award reached, “more than four times the size of Guyana”.

“This is what they got in the award. Guyana got 83,000 square miles … Mr Speaker the facts are here.