Venezuelan lawyer proved the invalidity of the 1899 Arbitral Award to the ICJ

Published at: 06/05/2026 03:01 PM

The lawyer of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Andreas Zimmermann, masterfully explained the interpretation of the Geneva Agreement of 1966, signed to settle the territorial dispute over Guiana Essequiba through diplomatic channels, invalidating the Paris Arbitration Award of 1899.

During his speech at the oral hearing held this Wednesday, Zimmermann noted that at the end of the drafting of that document, “the parties decided to leave behind the question of the invalidity of the 1899 Award, to turn the page and begin a new chapter in the resolution of their border dispute.”

In this regard, he stressed that the raison d'être of the text endorsed by the parties is reflected in its title: “Agreement to resolve the dispute between Venezuela and the United Kingdom over the border between Venezuela and British Guiana”, so insisting on the issue of the fraudulent award is sterile.

In this regard, the People's Power Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yván Gil, ratified that the Geneva Agreement is “the only legal instrument that defines the rights and obligations of Venezuela and Guyana to satisfactorily resolve the territorial dispute over the Essequibo, annulling the fraudulent Arbitral Award of 1899.”

Mazo News Team