Ruptly
"The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, arrived in the Netherlands this Sunday to lead her country's defense before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the historic territorial dispute with Guyana over the Essequibo, a region rich in natural resources, including oil. Rodríguez arrived at Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport, located in the province of North Holland, about 15 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam, where she was received by the Venezuelan foreign minister, Yván Gil, a member of the delegation representing Caracas in the process. In a message to the state television, Venezolana de Televisión, the president defended the 1966 Geneva Agreement as the only valid legal framework to resolve the territorial controversy and dismissed the 1899 arbitral award, whose validity is upheld by Guyana. "There is no doubt: Venezuela is the only holder of this territory, and we maintain our stance in defense of the Geneva Agreement. At that time, in 1966, there was an agreement to settle and overcome what was the oppressive and fraudulent arbitral award of 1899," she stated. Rodríguez arrived in the Netherlands a day before the public hearings held between May 4 and 11 at the ICJ on the validity of the 1899 arbitral award, which set the border between the then British Guiana and Venezuela. Regarding the case, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil stated that Guyana presented "false arguments" during the hearings and reiterated that Caracas does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICJ to resolve the controversy, arguing that the "only way" to solve it is "direct negotiation" between both countries. For his part, Philippe Sands, Guyana's lawyer, has argued that if Venezuela obtains the Essequibo, it would "submerge" his country into "a new form of domination" and send "the signal that the passage of six decades is not an impediment to nullify an arbitral award." The Essequibo covers about 160,000 square kilometers and represents more than 70% of the territory currently administered by Guyana. It is rich in gold, diamonds, and timber, and is located near significant offshore oil and gas deposits."
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