Tensions have escalated between Venezuela and Guyana as the territorial dispute over Essequibo has resurfaced. Guyana had recently published a communique expressing seeming deviations from the mechanisms established in the Geneva agreement. 

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil vehemently rejected the communique accusing Guyana of attempting to violate the agreed-upon framework and disregard the historical accord.

The minister also emphasized the necessity for both nations to engage in diplomatic dialogue as the primary means of resolving the territorial dispute and urged Guyanese authorities to cease the militarization of the area. 

"Venezuela rejects Guyana's statement, which ignores the 1966 Geneva Agreement. Venezuela demands that Guyana cease actions that serve ExxonMobil's interests, halt the militarization of the region, adhere to international legitimacy, and engage in negotiations as the only solution in the region," declared Minister Gil in a stern rebuke.

Furthermore, the minister said that Venezuela considers the influence of foreign companies as a serious and destabilizing factor for regional peace and compliance with international commitments.

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On September 30, Guyana published a communiqué outlining its intention to pursue a judicial resolution to the territorial dispute. This move was met with swift condemnation from Venezuela, as it contradicts the essence and purpose of the Geneva Agreement, which envisions a practical and satisfactory solution through political negotiations.

Earlier this month, at the United Nations General Assembly, Gil said that the US intends to militarize Essequibo, by aiming to set up shop in this oil-rich region.

He further noted that the Venezuelan parliament recently passed a referendum protecting the sovereign territory from US encroachment, adding that the US is again trying to interfere in the 200-year-old dispute of Essequibo and appropriate Venezuelan oil through the American oil and gas company ExxonMobil.

History of the border dispute

Venezuela and the former British colony of Guyana, which is now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, have had a long dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region.

In April this year, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said Venezuela's armed forces maintain the country's territorial integrity and will continue to defend Caracas' claims to the Guayana Esequiba territory, which has been challenged by neighboring Guyana for over 100 years. 

He tweeted that "the armed forces reaffirm their commitment to guarantee the territorial integrity of Venezuela. We have historical and legal reasons and all the will of the state of Venezuela to keep defending our legitimate claim over Guayana Esequiba. Esequiba is ours!"

Back in 1966, both nations ratified the Geneva Agreement for a peaceful solution, but in 2018, Guyana filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) requesting legal recognition of the 1899 decision of the Paris Court of Arbitration which assigned the territory to Guyana. 

The Geneva Agreement of 1966, registered at the United Nations, is responsible for regulating and solving border disputes between Venezuela and British Guiana, but none of the preliminary protocols has been ratified by Venezuela.

Venezuela offered Guyana in 1983 an opportunity to engage in direct negotiations, but Guyana has voiced its preference in seeking a solution through the UNGA, the Security Council, or the ICJ.

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