The bravery of citizens, particularly those residing in indigenous communities close to the border with Venezuela, were on Monday recognised by President Dr. Irfaan Ali during the opening of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Annual Conference 2025.
During his feature address at the opening of the conference, President Ali also took time to salute the men and women in uniform who are serving in these border regions.
President Ali recognised those residing in the indigenous communities for their “bravery and patriotism”, saluting the important role that they play in the protection of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
At the opening ceremony, NTC Chairman Dereck John also spoke on the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy. While he acknowledged the work being done by the Guyana Government to keep the border communities safe, he also made a call for the international community to continue showing their support for Guyana against Venezuela’s threats.
The Guyanese Head of State, in his remarks, also recognised the support Guyana has been receiving from its international partners.
He recognised Guyana’s international partners “who stand strong with us, who are vocal in their support for us, who are vocal in their support for the rule of law and international order.”
In January 2025, the Nicolás Maduro regime had announced plans to hold elections in the Essequibo region, which is two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass, on May 25, 2025 – something which Guyana wrote the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in March to have blocked.
The World Court, which is hearing the case to settle the decades-long border controversy between the two South American neighbours, subsequently issued an order that Venezuela must refrain from conducting or preparing to conduct elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region.
It also reaffirmed the provisional measures issued by the Court on December 1, 2023, which states that “…Venezuela shall refrain from taking any action which would modify the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute, whereby the Co-operative Republic of Guyana administers and exercises control over that area; and (2) Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.”
However, the Venezuelan Government had said no international pressure, judicial blackmail or foreign court could make it back down, and called on Guyana to engage in direct negotiation and comply with the Geneva Agreement.
In response to Caracas, the Foreign Ministry called Venezuela’s reaction to the additional provisional measures issued by the World Court “unfortunate” and shut down, once again, any idea of bilateral talks between the two neighbouring States.
In fact, the Foreign Ministry went on to remind Venezuela that the case pending before the ICJ is a decision of the UN Secretary General in accordance with the 1966 Geneva Agreement on the settlement of the controversy – an Agreement to which both Guyana and Venezuela are parties.
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