GEORGETOWN, Guyana, May 22, CMC – Guyana Friday remained optimistic that it would be victorious in its land border dispute with Venezuela now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) saying it anticipates the court ruling by the end of this year.
The Essequibo region comprises roughly the western two-thirds of Guyana, spanning 61,600 square miles. It is a resource-rich region bordered by the Essequibo River to the east and Venezuela to the west, which Venezuela claims as its own.
President Irfaan Ali, speaking at a news conference here, praised the legal team that represented the country earlier this month at the hearings in the Hague, noting that the oral presentations by both countries “brought the contentious part of the proceedings to close.
“Both Guyana and Venezuela had already presented extensive written pleadings on the merits of the case between 2021 and 2025.
“All that now remains is for the court to deliberate on the matter before it, especially on the validity of the 1899 arbitral award that determined the international boundary between the two countries and issue its final judgement, which will be legally binding on both parties. ”
(Details in Full News section)
CMC/2026