Pres Ali reaffirms confidence in Guyana’s ICJ case
Guyana’s case affirming the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award is now fully before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), with a final, binding ruling expected early in the new year.
Oral hearings in the territorial controversy between Guyana and Venezuela concluded on May 11 at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
In a statement on June 5, the government said all that remains is for the Court to deliberate, draft its judgment, and deliver it in a public session, a process the ICJ has historically completed within six to eight months of the close of hearings, placing the likely window between November 2026 and January 2027.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali said: “We are hoping that early in the new year, there will be a ruling at the ICJ; we are very confident.”
Looking beyond the ruling, the head of state said the focus turns to “building a relationship and ensuring that the region remains strong, stable, secure, and that both countries can advance its economic potential and opportunity in an environment that is free from fear.”
The case, filed by Guyana in 2018, seeks the Court’s confirmation that the 1899 Award and the boundary it established between then-British Guiana and Venezuela is valid and binding under international law.
The ICJ has twice affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the matter, ruling in 2020 that it had authority over the case and dismissing a further Venezuelan objection in 2023. The Court has also twice granted Guyana’s requests for provisional measures, most recently ordering Venezuela in 2025 not to proceed with elections in the disputed Essequibo region.
Venezuela’s representatives maintained their rejection of the Court’s authority during the May hearings, arguing their territorial position predates and stands apart from the ICJ process.
Asked about this, President Ali said: “Those are words that we have heard many times, but we know the fact and the truth in relation to the 1899 [Arbitral] Award, and the court is going to determine the merits of words and facts.”
On whether Guyana is bracing for continued resistance from Caracas regardless of the outcome, the president said: “I wouldn’t say we are bracing, but we are prepared for any reaction to the court[‘s] rul[ing]. We are very conscious of these words… notwithstanding the fact that Venezuela has participated fully in every aspect of the case before the ICJ.”
President Ali said the United States continues to play an important role in supporting regional stability as the region heads toward the ruling, and that Guyana’s relationship with Washington remains unchanged and rooted in principle.
Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained that the country will accept the Court’s final judgment, whatever the outcome, as the definitive and peaceful resolution to the decades-long controversy.
