Jamaica supports ICJ ruling barring Venezuela from annexing disputed Essequibo region

The Government of Jamaica has welcomed Friday's unanimous ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) barring Venezuela from altering Guyana's control over the disputed Essequibo region.

In a statement in support of the ruling on the 1899 Arbitral Award, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamina Johnson Smith said "the Court's order strongly supports the position of Guyana, which is shared by Jamaica."

She also noted that the Court has said that Venezuela should “refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Cooperative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area.”

She argued that this would have direct implications for the planned holding of a referendum by Venezuela on December 3. 

"The Government of Jamaica remains firmly committed to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. Jamaica fully supports the work of the ICJ and its ability to deliver justice where there is breach of the United Nations' founding principles, in an impartial, transparent and independent manner. In this regard, Guyana can continue to count on Jamaica's support of the CARICOM position in defence of its sovereign rights and territorial integrity," Johnson Smith said.

An Associated Press report noted that both countries interpreted Friday's ruling as largely backing their own positions on the territory, which is larger than Greece and is rich in oil and minerals.

It stated that the court order falls short of any explicit mention of the referendum, but says that Venezuela must "refrain from taking any action which would modify that situation that currently prevails" in Essequibo.

The legally binding ruling remains in place until a case brought by Guyana against Venezuela on the region's future is considered by the court, which could take years.

Venezuela has arranged a referendum to ask voters five questions Sunday, including whether to create a Venezuelan state in Essequibo and whether voters support granting Venezuelan citizenship to the region's current and future residents.

Venezuela does not recognise the UN panel's jurisdiction over the decades-old dispute, but the country's Vice President Delcy Rodríguez nonetheless characterised the ruling as a "victory for Venezuela," given that the UN did not order a halt to the referendum plans.

"Guyana went looking for wool and came out sheared," Rodríguez told reporters in Caracas after the ruling was announced.

Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali also welcomed the ruling. He said in a statement that the decision makes clear that "Venezuela is prohibited from annexing or trespassing upon Guyanese territory or taking any other actions" altering the Essequibo's boundary set in 1899, regardless of the outcome of any referendum."

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