Commonwealth comes out in support of Guyana over Venezuela’s latest escalation

The Commonwealth Secretariat yesterday issued a statement in support of Guyana, calling on Caracas to abide by the principles of international law. This is in response to Venezuela’s promulgation of the ‘Organic Law for the Defence of Guayana Esequiba’, which Guyana had highlighted in a recent letter to a number of states and international bodies.

“Venezuela’s latest actions appear to directly contravene the ICJ Order and also the spirit of the 14 December 2023 Joint Declaration of Argyle for Dialogue and Peace between Guyana and Venezuela where both states agreed to use international law and diplomatic means to address the controversy and to refrain from escalating the conflict,” a statement from the Commonwealth Secretariat quoted its Secretary-General Patricia Scotland as saying.