Border controversy: US stands shoulder to shoulder with Guyana – Ambassador reminds

Amid recent developments in the global geopolitical landscape, the United States (US) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Guyana and safeguarding its territorial integrity. US Ambassador to Guyana Nicole Theriot made the commitment during Monday’s episode of the Energy Perspectives podcast.

Her remarks come on the heels of a meeting last week between US President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). “I think everyone knows that we stand shoulder to shoulder with Guyana, and we are so passionate about your territorial integrity, and we support you on that 1000 per cent. It’s incredibly important that people know that,” Ambassador Theriot remarked.

“I get asked two questions by US companies or US institutions that are thinking about working here in Guyana or investing here in Guyana, and its political stability and security, those are the two questions everybody wants the answers to. And I can proudly say that we are standing next to you when it comes to both of these issues,” the diplomat added.

Last week, Trump and Rodríguez held their first face-to-face meeting since the White House backed her assumption of power following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, who was seized by US forces during a raid on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas. According to international reports, the two discussed advancing a cooperation agenda in strategic areas such as energy, mining and security. Reports also indicate that Rodríguez’s Government has signed an agreement allowing the US to control more than 65 billion barrels of its oil – more than a fifth of the country’s reserves. It grants a US-led company 100-year concessions over 17 oilfields in Venezuela.

UNGA addresses

Meanwhile, Rodríguez used her platform at the UNGA to call for Guyana and Venezuela to return to the negotiation table to settle the decades-long border controversy, even as she reaffirmed her country’s claims to two-thirds of Guyana’s 83,000 square miles. “Here, I appeal to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to resolve the issue and to return to negotiations as stipulated by the Geneva Agreement,” Rodriguez stated during her address to the UN Assembly, even as she wore a brooch that contained Guyana’s Essequibo region as part of the Venezuelan map. According to the interim Venezuelan President, “Agreements that last the longest are those that emerge from bilateral negotiations. They last longer and function better than those imposed by external bodies.”

But President Dr Irfaan Ali, in his address to the UNGA the following day, reminded that it was under that very Geneva Agreement that the UN Secretary General (UNSG) referred the border controversy to be settled by the World Court.

“Recourse to the ICJ (International Court of Justice) came after decades of efforts to resolve the controversy bilaterally, including through a mixed commission and the Good Offices of the UNSG. In full respect for international law, Guyana participated and encouraged Venezuela to participate in the proceedings of the ICJ. Now that we have both participated in the hearings, which were completed in May 2026, we urge Venezuela to abide by the forthcoming ruling,” President Ali had said.

ICJ

Venezuela is seeking claims to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass and a section of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Back in March 2018, Guyana approached the ICJ seeking a final and binding settlement of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which demarcated the boundary with Venezuela. The Spanish-speaking nation is laying claims to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass and a portion of the country’s EEZ, where over 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) have been found, and production as well as other exploration activities are ongoing. Back in 2018, and based on the recommendation of UNSG António Guterres following years of failed diplomacy between the two countries, Guyana had approached the ICJ, seeking a final and binding settlement of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which establishes the boundaries with Venezuela.

The case wrapped up back in May of this year after both countries were given two opportunities to make oral arguments on the merits of their respective cases at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. The ICJ is now deliberating on its decision, which is expected to be delivered early in the new year.

President Ali had previously said that the ICJ’s pending ruling will give finality to the border controversy with Venezuela, and Guyana will wait with patience and dignity for that decision – something of which he is confident will be in his country’s favour.