In welcoming the ruling handed down by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Government of Jamaica has thrown its unequivocal support behind Guyana and called on Venezuela to be engaged in peaceful resolutions and follow international law, The Guyana Chronicle reported Sunday.
This was said in a statement published by Sen. Kamina Johnson-Smith, minister of foreign affairs and foreign trade, on behalf of the government of Jamaica.
“Guyana can continue to count on Jamaica’s support of the CARICOM position in defense of its sovereign rights and territorial integrity,” the Jamaican government said. “The Court’s Order strongly supports the position of Guyana, which is shared by Jamaica, that the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela should refrain from any action which would seize, acquire or encroach upon, or assert or exercise sovereignty over the Essequibo region or any other part of Guyana’s national territory.”
According to the statement, Jamaica supports the Court’s Order that both parties refrain from any action that aggravates the current situation, Venezuela’s trail of events, which are aimed at annexing Guyana’s Essequibo region, was in the spotlight.
The ICJ on Friday granted Guyana provisional measures to prevent any action by Venezuela that could lead to the annexation of Guyana’s territory.
The decision was handed down by the president of the ICJ, Justice Joan E. Donoghue, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands.