“If the rights of a small State can be trampled upon and legally binding orders ignored, what protection remains for any nation under international law?”
President of Guyana, H.E. Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali
As Venezuela continues to enact unilateral laws and issue threats of annexation of Guyana’s Essequibo territory, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has declared that Guyana will not yield to coercion, intimidation, or unilateral action by the Bolivarian Republic.
Addressing the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on 24 September, President Ali said Venezuela’s actions flagrantly violates international law, the UN Charter, and the very principles that sustain global order.
The border controversy between the two nations is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has twice affirmed its jurisdiction to rule on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award. In 2023, the ICJ issued provisional measures ordering Venezuela to refrain from altering the status quo established by the Award.
The President posed a critical question to the international community, stating,
“If the rights of a small State can be trampled upon and legally binding orders ignored, what protection remains for any nation under international law?”
Offering his own response, he asserted, “the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference are not negotiable.”
President Ali thanked Guyana’s international partners and allies for their continued solidarity.
