The Bolivarian Diplomacy of Peace in defense of the Essequibo

Published at: 15/12/2023 06:00 PM

Here in Venezuela the People are in charge and on December 3rd, they gave an order to the Bolivarian Government and it immediately began to take action accordingly.

It is important to be clear that the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (CRBV) in its article 10 clearly states that our territory comprises it: “The territory and other geographical areas of the Republic are those that belonged to the Captaincy General of Venezuela before the political transformation that began on April 19, 1810, with the modifications resulting from the treaties and arbitral awards not vitiated by nullity”.

In this way, the territorial issue is constitutionally defined and does not allow any type of alienation, it is imprescriptible and inalienable. Therefore, it is subject to a constitutional blockade, which means that no one can dispose of the territory without serious violation of the law.

It should also be known that the concept of territory encompasses components of the geographical area that consists of spaces: continental and insular, lake and river, territorial sea, marine areas, their soil and subsoil, continental, insular and maritime airspace and, of course, the resources found in them.

It was then that the need to propose and approve a law that aims to establish the means and mechanisms aimed at the defense of the territory of Guiana Esequiba, currently usurped by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, as a result of the Arbitral Award of 1899, with the purpose of ensuring the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Reviewing history again, with the declaration of Independence in 1810 of our nation, the Constitution of 1811 enshrines a free and independent Republic and later that of 1821 corresponding to the formation of Gran Colombia, defines the territory of our country as the one that corresponded to the General Captaincy, which in a meridian way, in the Constitution of 1830, it is determined that it is precisely the one that corresponded to the Captaincy General of Venezuela before the political transformation of 1810.

This is why it is established that our country has historical and legal titles that have been defined since its republican origin with a territory consistent with Uti Posseditis Juris, meaning that ownership grants original sovereign rights.

With a view to the restoration of legality and respect for rights

Since then, in 1899, with the signing of the Paris Arbitration Award, Venezuela has not stopped raising its voice of protest, but it was only until the full discovery of the fraud in the middle of the 20th century that it went to the United Nations, which led to the signing and entry in 1966 of the Geneva Agreement.

Thus, the territorial dispute must be discussed on the basis of the provisions of the Geneva Agreement of February 17, 1966, still in force and signed by Venezuela, Great Britain and British Guiana (now Guyana ) and in which the dispute of Guiana is recognized That sequiba.

The fact is that according to the Geneva Agreement of 1966, “no act or activity carried out while this agreement is in force shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim of territorial sovereignty in the territories of Venezuela or British Guiana, nor for creating the right of sovereignty in those territories, except to the extent that such acts or activities are the result of any agreement reached by the joint commission and accepted in writing by the Government of Venezuela and the Government of Guyana” (Numeral 2, Article V). For the past few decades, this Agreement has been implemented in search of a peaceful and satisfactory solution for both parties.

This is not a BORDER DISPUTE, it is a TERRITORIAL DISPUTE because it is not appropriate to talk about borders given the existence of a territorial dispute, so maritime territory cannot be delimited until the dispute, which is a historical remnant of colonialism, is resolved.

Then, there is an obvious violation of the Geneva Agreement by Guyana when it granted a concession to the transnational company Exxon Móbil in 2014, since it is granted on an undelimited maritime space.

The Agreement is also violated when it is not known that any activity or settlement on the territory in dispute does not generate any rights and for this reason the government of Guyana must comply with the law and international law because as long as the dispute over the Essequibo exists, neither party can grant concessions in the territory and in the undelimited maritime space.

The Constitutional Path of Bolivarian Peace Diplomacy

The Bolivarian Revolution exercises the actions established in Article 153 of the CRBV on diplomatic efforts with a view to protecting its inalienable sovereign rights in the controversial territory of Guiana Esequiba. Under the premise of peace diplomacy, our country has a historic tradition of promoting Latin American and Caribbean integration and unity.

While it is true that we seek a brotherhood among the Peoples of the region, we will not allow Guyana to attempt to transnationalize the territorial controversy with a view to escalating to a conflict with imperialist support.

Venezuela and Guyana must prevent factors outside the controversy, such as Exxon Mobil, from attempting to confront the two countries and affect good bilateral relations. Historically, our country has been the best contributor to Guyana's economic and social development, with mechanisms such as Petrocaribe, so the claim that it is trying to prevent the economic development of the neighboring country is meaningless.

Venezuela's position will always be to insist on respect for the Geneva Agreement and international law, through peace diplomacy so that Guyana can resume the path of debate and that both countries can achieve a peaceful, just and satisfactory solution for both parties.

AMELYREN BASABE/ DECK WRITING