Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez said she is traveling to The Hague to represent her country before the International Court of Justice in its long-running territorial dispute with neighboring Guyana over the oil-rich Essequibo region.
The trip, announced Saturday in a televised address, marks Rodriguez’s first journey outside the Caribbean since she assumed power following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces in January.
“It has fallen to me to travel in the coming hours to defend our homeland,” Rodriguez said.
The ICJ has been hearing arguments from both countries in recent days, with proceedings set to conclude on Monday.
The case centers on the status of the Essequibo region, a sprawling territory administered by Guyana but claimed by Venezuela.
The region accounts for more than two-thirds of Guyana’s territory and has become increasingly significant following the discovery of major offshore oil deposits by ExxonMobil.
The findings transformed Guyana into the country with the world’s largest crude oil reserves per capita.
The dispute dates back to the 1800s and has periodically heightened tensions between the two South American neighbors.
ICJ judges are considering whether a border established in 1899 under British colonial rule remains valid.
Venezuela argues the frontier should instead follow a 1966 agreement signed before Guyana gained independence and maintains that the Essequibo River represents the natural boundary.
Rodriguez’s trip comes amid shifting relations between Caracas and Washington.
Long subject to US sanctions, Rodriguez saw restrictions lifted after becoming acting president as Venezuela moved to comply with several US demands, including opening parts of its state oil sector to foreign firms and releasing political prisoners.
Officials appearing before the ICJ benefit from special legal protections during proceedings.
Despite saying she had been invited to visit the United States by the Trump administration, Rodriguez has so far limited her international travel to Caribbean destinations, including Grenada and Barbados.