Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, used the eve of Guyana’s 60th Independence anniversary to deliver one of his strongest public statements yet on the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy, telling the nation and the world that the territory is, and will remain, Guyanese.
Speaking at the grand Flag Raising ceremony deliberately held on Fort Island, Essequibo, on Monday night, the president left no room for ambiguity, declaring that all 159,000 square kilometres belong to Guyana.
“The Essequibo is Guyana’s. It has never been Venezuelan. Nor was it ever Spanish,” he declared, referencing the 1899 Arbitral Award as the anchor of Guyana’s legal position. “Guyana has indisputably included Essequibo. It is and will remain Guyanese.”
The choice of venue alone carried weight. Celebrating the 60th Diamond Jubilee on Essequibo soil, President Ali said, was an assertion of a fundamental truth: the territory belongs completely to Guyana.
The address came amid heightened tensions over the long-running border controversy, with Venezuela claiming more than two-thirds of Guyana’s sovereign territory.
President Ali pointedly called out Venezuela’s acting president for declaring publicly before the International Court of Justice that Venezuela would not accept a ruling in Guyana’s favour.
“This is not the language of a neighbour. This is not the language of international law. This is not the language of peace. That is why tonight, my language cannot be ambiguos,” the commander-in-chief said.
The ICJ, which has affirmed its jurisdiction to hear the matter, is currently deliberating after both sides submitted memorials and concluded oral hearings. Guyana has expressed full confidence in its case.
Despite the firm tone, President Ali drew a clear distinction between Venezuela’s government and its people, extending what he called a hand of friendship to ordinary Venezuelans who, he said, share a common Caribbean and South American heritage with Guyanese.
“We hold no malice toward the people of Venezuela,” he said, adding that when the matter is resolved, Guyana stands ready to work with Venezuela toward a hemisphere that is safer and more prosperous for all.
He was equally clear, however, that Guyana’s defence of its sovereignty would be pursued through courts and diplomacy and not aggression. “Never through war,” the Commander-in-Chief declared.
President Ali also expressed gratitude to the United States Government, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Commonwealth, the Organization of American States (OAS), and all partner nations around the world for their unwavering support of Guyana’s sovereignty.
He said,“Tonight, on this 60th Anniversary of our independence, we say to all the people of those nations, and their governments, with immense gratitude in our hearts. Thank you for standing with us.”
Joining the president for the 60th commemoration of Guyana’s independence were Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Motley; First Lady Arya Ali; members of the cabinet, ordinary citizens and others alike.