On Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected the request presented by Guyana, that was aimed at suspending the consultative referendum on the Essequibo in which over 20 million Venezuelans will participate on Sunday.
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In response to the events, the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry issued an statement whose full text is presented below:
"The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela acknowledges the statement issued by the International Court of Justice regarding the unusual and interventionist provisional measures requested by the Cooperative Republic of Guyana against the consultative referendum scheduled for December 3, 2023.
Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to its historical position, stating that it does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice to settle the territorial controversy surrounding the Essequibo region, especially given the existence of the 1966 Geneva Agreement.
In this case, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana explicitly requested that the consultative referendum not take place or that questions 1, 3, and 5 be modified. The Court, in its decision, dismissed this unprecedented and unfounded request as a matter within Venezuela's exclusive domain.
Nothing in international law allowed the Court to interfere in Venezuela's internal affairs or attempt to prohibit or modify a sovereign act organized within the framework of its participatory political system and based on its Constitution.
President Nicolas Maduro's text reads, "On Sunday, December 3rd, we will vote thinking about the homeland, the family, the youth, and the future. Venezuela as a whole, for love, peace and for the Essequibo, is preparing to mark a new milestone in our country's history. United we can recover the entire map and paint it. Let's leave our mark!"
Furthermore, this decision has demonstrated that Guyana is not a victim, lacks titles to the disputed territory, is a de facto occupier, and has repeatedly violated the Geneva Agreement and international legality by unilaterally granting concessions in the land and waters pending demarcation, as well as facilitating its territory for the deployment of the military by the world's leading warlike power in our region.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as previously announced and in accordance with its sacred Constitution, will proceed with all preparations for the consultative referendum called by the Electoral Authority at the request of the Venezuelan Parliament. Nothing and no one will prevent the Venezuelan people from freely expressing themselves on December 3 about a matter that is their own, internal, and of great importance, such as territorial integrity.
Venezuela reiterates that it will firmly uphold its unwavering commitment to international law and the Geneva Agreement as the only legal instrument that allows for a practical and satisfactory solution for both parties through friendly, political, and peaceful negotiations.
The truth of Venezuela and its irrevocable sovereignty, constitutionality, and self-determination have emerged victorious.
On December 3, the Venezuelan people will go out to cast their votes for the first time in history to defend their territorial integrity and reaffirm that our rights over the Essequibo region are non-negotiable and unquestionable.
The Sun of Venezuela rises in the Essequibo!