GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — The Caribbean Community (Caricom) Tuesday said that it has taken note of recent official engagements within the community during which material asserting Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region had been on public display.

Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali, had earlier expressed his “grave concern” over the public display of a brooch won by Venezuela’s Acting President, Delcy Rodriquez, showing her country’s map that includes Guyana’s Essequibo Region as she held talks with two Caricom leaders this month.

In a letter sent to the Caricom chairman, Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew, the Guyanese leader said that, “Guyana fully respects the sovereign right of Caricom member states to conduct bilateral relations with all partners, including the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

“However, it is deeply regrettable that such engagements have been accompanied by the prominent display of symbols asserting Venezuela’s claim to Guyana’s territory,” Ali wrote in his April 28, 2028 letter to Drew, who is also the prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis.

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.

In his letter, Ali said that the use of Caricom engagements “to project or promote a territorial claim against a member state risks being interpreted as acquiescence or tolerance”.

“No action, whether deliberate or inadvertent, should create the impression that the community’s platforms may be used to advance claims now before the International Court of Justice. Caricom’s principled support for Guyana must be reflected not only in declarations, but also in the context and conduct of official engagements.

“This is not a matter of symbolism alone. It is a calculated and provocative assertion of a claim that Guyana has consistently and lawfully rejected, and which is before the International Court of Justice for final adjudication.”

READ: Senior Guyanese minister objects to brooch worn by Venezuela’s acting president

In its statement, the 15-member regional grouping said that it wanted to reaffirm “that each member state retains the sovereign right to conduct bilateral relations with external partners. This principle is well established and respected within the community. Those engagements are conducted in a manner consistent with the shared obligations and collective commitments of Caricom”.

The statement said that at the centre of those commitments stands the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, “the binding legal instrument that defines the community, its objectives and the conduct expected of its member states”.

Caricom said that the treaty commits members to the “preservation of the community’s integrity and cohesion in their external relations”.

“In the exercise of their sovereign rights, member states remain mindful of their collective responsibilities to the treaty and to uphold the principles of international law, respect for judicial processes and good neighbourly relations.

“In this regard, Caricom underscores that community platforms and engagements should not be used, whether directly or indirectly, to advance or appear to legitimise claims that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings before the International Court of Justice.”

Caricom said that its “longstanding and unequivocal support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana, and for the peaceful resolution of the controversy through the court remains firm and unchanged”.

The International Court of Justice 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.