The Hague, Netherlands: Despite further objections from Caracas, the International Court of Justice permitted a case involving a 19th-century boundary dispute between Venezuela and Guyana to proceed on Thursday.

Venezuela’s demand that Britain should be involved was rejected by the UN’s top tribunal because England was Guyana’s colonial authority at the time of a disputed 1899 arbitration ruling in the case.

The Hague-based court may now hold full hearings on the long-running dispute between the South American neighbours, which has erupted in recent years with the discovery of oil.

“The court… rejects the preliminary objection raised by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela” by 14 judges to one, ICJ chief judge Joan Donoghue said.

Guyanese President Irfaan Ali hailed the decision in a televised statement, stressing that “this is the second time this international court has rejected jurisdictional objections raised by Venezuela”.

“Guyana remains confident that the court will confirm its longstanding international boundary with Venezuela,” the president said, adding that all UN member states “are obligated under the UN Charter to comply” with the Court’s decisions.

Earlier, reviewing the history of the joint border, Irfaan Ali said that Venezuela “has changed its position, claiming two-thirds of Guyana’s territory west of the Essequibo River”.

Caracas has been pressing a historic claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region, which encompasses two-thirds of the former British colony since US oil giant ExxonMobil discovered crude off its coast in 2015.

“Venezuela doesn’t recognise the judicial mechanism as a means of resolving” the dispute with Guyana, said a government statement read to the press by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

Caracas will “fully assess” the implications of the court’s ruling and “adopt all measures at its disposal to defend its legitimate rights and territorial integrity”, according to the statement.

Guyana maintains that valid land borders were set in 1899 by an arbitration court decision in Paris involving Venezuela, Britain and then-British Guiana — a decision Venezuela has never recognised.

In 2018 UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred the long-running row to the ICJ, which was set up after World War II to rule on disputes between UN member countries.

The court had already ruled in 2020 that it had jurisdiction in the case, but Venezuela challenged that decision.

Caracas has previously refused to attend a number of hearings, although its representatives were in court on Thursday.

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Fresh setback for Venezuela in Guyana case at ICJ despite further objections from Caracas

Venezuela's demand that Britain should be involved was rejected by the UN's top tribunal because England was Guyana's colonial authority at the time of a disputed 1899 arbitration ruling in the case