May 4 (UPI) -- Venezuela and Guyana resumed their long-running territorial dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo region with public hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday, marking a key phase in a case filed by Guyana in 2018.
Guyana seeks to uphold the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the current border. Venezuela rejects the ruling as invalid and argues the matter should be resolved through bilateral negotiations under the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
Guyana's foreign minister, Hugh Hilton Todd, described the case as of "existential importance," saying Venezuela's claim affects more than 70% of his country's sovereign territory.
Local media, including the Guyana Chronicle and Stabroek News, have warned that losing Essequibo would "dismember" the nation, costing land, population and national heritage.
Related
