Order of 6 April 2023

6 AVRIL 2023
ORDONNANCE
SENTENCE ARBITRALE DU 3 OCTOBRE 1899 (GUYANA c. VENEZUELA)
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ARBITRAL AWARD OF 3 OCTOBER 1899 (GUYANA v. VENEZUELA)
6 APRIL 2023
ORDER
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
YEAR 2023
2023
6 April
General List
No. 171
6 April 2023
ARBITRAL AWARD OF 3 OCTOBER 1899
(GUYANA v. VENEZUELA)
ORDER
Present: President DONOGHUE; Vice-President GEVORGIAN; Judges TOMKA, ABRAHAM, YUSUF, XUE, BHANDARI, SALAM, IWASAWA, NOLTE, BRANT; Judges ad hoc WOLFRUM, COUVREUR; Registrar GAUTIER.
The International Court of Justice,
Composed as above,
After deliberation,
Having regard to Article 48 of the Statute of the Court and to Article 79ter, paragraph 5, of the Rules of Court,
Having regard to the Application filed in the Registry of the Court on 29 March 2018, whereby the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana (hereinafter “Guyana”) instituted proceedings against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereinafter “Venezuela”) with respect to a dispute concerning “the legal validity and binding effect of the Award regarding the Boundary between the Colony of British Guiana and the United States of Venezuela, of 3 October 1899”,
Having regard to the Judgment dated 18 December 2020, whereby the Court found that it had jurisdiction to entertain the Application filed by Guyana in so far as it concerned the validity of the Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 and the related question of the definitive settlement of the land boundary dispute between Guyana and Venezuela,
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Having regard to the Order of 8 March 2021, whereby the Court fixed 8 March 2022 and 8 March 2023 as the respective time-limits for the filing of a Memorial by Guyana and a Counter-Memorial by Venezuela on the merits,
Having regard to the Memorial of Guyana filed within the time-limit thus fixed,
Having regard to the preliminary objection raised by the Government of Venezuela on 7 June 2022;
Whereas, under the provisions of Article 79bis, paragraph 3, of the Rules of Court, the filing of a preliminary objection by Venezuela had the effect of suspending the proceedings on the merits;
Whereas, by its Judgment of 6 April 2023, the Court rejected the preliminary objection raised by Venezuela and found that it could adjudicate upon the merits of the claims of Guyana, in so far as they fall within the scope of paragraph 138, subparagraph 1, of the Judgment dated 18 December 2020,
Fixes 8 April 2024 as the time-limit for the filing of the Counter-Memorial of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; and
Reserves the subsequent procedure for further decision.
Done in French and in English, the French text being authoritative, at the Peace Palace, The Hague, this sixth day of April, two thousand and twenty-three, in three copies, one of which will be placed in the archives of the Court and the others transmitted to the Government of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, respectively.
(Signed) Joan E. DONOGHUE,
President.
(Signed) Philippe GAUTIER,
Registrar.
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