Views of Guyana on the letter from Venezuela's Minister of People's Power for Foreign Affairs dated 24 July 2020

3 August 20.20
Mr. Philippe Gautier
Registrar
International Court of Justice
Peace Palace
2517 KJ The Hague
Netherlands
Dear Sir:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
254 South Road & Shiv Chanderpaul Dr.,
Georgetown. Guyana
Telephone: 592-226-9080 Fax; 592-223-5241
Email: minister@,minior.gov.gy
Website: www.mmfor.gov.gy
I have the honour to respond to your letter of 28 July 2020, which conveyed a copy of a
letter signed by the Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the
Honourable Jorge Arreaza, which was transmitted to the Court on 27 July 2020 by the
Permanent Mission of Venezuela in The Hague.
Guyana expresses its appreciation to the Court for offering it an opportunity to respond
to the Foreign Minister's letter. Our response will be brief.
First, Guyana welcomes the Foreign Minister's letter, which follows Venezuela's
submission of 28 November 2019, as a further participation by Venezuela in these
proceedings. In bilateral diplomatic correspondence, Guyana has repeatedly urged its
sister Republic to fully participate in all aspects of the case, and to contribute to the work
of the Court in resolving the pending dispute peacefully and in accordance vvith
international law. Guyana maintains the hope that, if the case proceeds to the merits
phase, Venezuela will fully engage.
Second, in regard to the content of the Foreign Minister's letter, Guyana observes that, as
the Foreign Minister himself has vvritten, the letter recapitulates what Venezuela wrote in
its submission of 28 November 2019. Like the earlier submission, the letter was not
accompanied by any documentary or other evidence to support the contentions made
therein. Guyana responded fully to each and every one of Venezuela's contentions in its
oral pleadings on 30 June 2020. Accordingly, it has no need to repeat what it has already
pleaded, in response to the Foreign Minister's repetition of what Venezuela submitted in
November 2019.
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Third, ther􀋡 is, however, a single point raised in the Foreign Minister's letter which was
:not inchtded in Venezuela's earlier submission:- the suggestion that there- was a
contradiction between Professor Akhavan's pleading; on 30 June 2020 and that of
Professor Pellet, in regard. to the scope of the present dispute. There is no such
contradiction. Professor Akhavan accurately stated that the dispute before the Court is
over the validity ofthe.Arbitral Award of30ctober1899. Professor Pellet confirmed that
this is, indeed, th.e subject matter of these proceedings. He added that if the Court Were to determine - contrary to Guyana's contentions on the merits - that the Arbitral Award
is invalid; such that there is no adjudicated boundary between the Parties, it should
proceed to fix the boundary1 in order to fulfillits mission of resolving the dispute that has
been brought before it. This, too, is an accurate reflection of Guyana's position, and it is
fully consistent with the statement made by Professor Akhavan.
Please accept,Sir, the assurances of rrty highest consideration􀋢
l.􀀆,!i􀀇
Agent .of the ci􀋣erativeV/e public of Guyana
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