GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — A senior government minister has criticised Venezuela’s Acting President, Delcy Rodriquez, for wearing a brooch showing her country’s map that includes Guyana’s Essequibo Region as she held talks with two Caribbean Community (Caricom) leaders this month.

Rodriquez held talks with Grenada’s Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell in St George’s on April 9 and on Monday this week met with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley. She said then that her visit was aimed at strengthening relations between the South American country and the region.

But Education Minister, Priya Devi Manikchand, in a statement posted on her Facebook page, wrote, “Caricom leaders claiming to be our friends and benefitting from that friendship even as they entertain their other friends who are completely disrespecting Guyana by openly claiming 2/3 of my country and sporting that on a visible piece of jewellery even as that matter is being adjudicated in the ICJ (International Court of Justice), has me questioning our friendships and the principles of these Caricom leaders.”

She was critical of those Caricom countries for violating the principle of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, adding, “Principle is principle. It shouldn’t be cowardly. And it shouldn’t be convenient.”

The ICJ is set to begin oral hearings on May 4, with Guyana’s Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, saying that hearings are scheduled for May 4-8, and may extend into the following week.

Guyana brought the case before the ICJ in 2018, seeking affirmation that the 1899 Arbitral Award, establishing the boundary between the two countries, is legally valid. The award had been accepted for over 60 years before Venezuela declared it null in 1962 and revived its claim to the territory.

The matter is being addressed under the 1966 Geneva Agreement, which outlines mechanisms for a peaceful settlement. After bilateral efforts failed, the dispute was referred to the ICJ by the United Nations Secretary-General.

The court has already ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the case, paving the way for hearings on the merits, during which both sides will present full legal arguments.

While Guyana maintains that the judicial process is the only legitimate avenue for resolving the dispute, Venezuela has historically challenged the court’s authority, though it has participated in filing written submissions.

The 15-member regional integration grouping, Caricom, of which Guyana is a member, has consistently supported Guyana’s position that Essequibo is part of its territory.

Meanwhile, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) of Guyana is expressing “its strongest condemnation and deep concern at the deliberate and provocative display of imagery by a senior Venezuelan official depicting Guyana’s Essequibo region as part of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela”.

“This act is neither incidental nor benign; it is unacceptable within the framework of international law and responsible diplomacy, and is particularly troubling when it occurs within the territory of Barbados,” the PSC said, adding that it views this latest incident as a form of “symbolic aggression intended to influence perception, shape narratives and test international resolve, risking the undermining of regional stability, the erosion of trust and the weakening of the principles of peaceful dispute resolution”.

The PSC said that it is calling on the Barbados Government, “a valued Caricom partner and long-standing friend of Guyana” to stand firmly in defence of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“Further, we call on Caricom and all regional and international partners to remain vigilant and unequivocal in their support for the rule of law. Silence or inaction in the face of such deliberate provocation risks emboldening further escalation,” it added.

The Guyana Government has not said anything officially about what is now regarded in some quarters here as “brooch gate”.