Last Thursday, the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) ruled in favor of Nicaragua in the dispute with Colombia over rights in the Caribbean Sea. With 10 votes in favor and five against, the main judicial organ of the United Nations (UN) ruled that the 'coffee' country violated the Central American nation's “sovereignty and jurisdiction” in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Therefore, having received a vote of 9 to 6, the court stated that Colombia should “immediately cease such conduct”, because it interfered “with fishing and maritime research activities and research on Nicaraguan vessels,” the ruling pointed out. In that regard, the Court also urged the country not to “act wrongly” by letting fishermen enter Nicaraguan waters.
This dispute dates back to November 26, 2013, over a lawsuit filed by Nicaragua arguing that Colombia had not complied with the November 19, 2012 ruling, in which Colombia lost nearly 75,000 square kilometers of sea.
Experts have said that, unlike what happened in the 2012 ruling, the country will have the opportunity to sit down and negotiate with Nicaragua to determine, for example, the extent of fishing activities that may be carried out by root communities.
However, in the midst of the debate, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia posted a message this Saturday on his Twitter account in which he welcomed the ICJ decision: “On behalf of President Nicolás Maduro and the people of Venezuela, we congratulate the Nicaraguan people on the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ratifies the full enjoyment of its Caribbean maritime territory and exclusive economic zone”.
In this regard, Plasencia pointed out that this is a “triumph” in which the rights of a nation that promotes relations of respect are recognized.
“A triumph that recognizes the sovereignty and rights of a nation that does not surrender, that struggles to defend its ideals and for the consolidation of an order that promotes relations of respect and that contribute to the promotion of peace, unity and understanding,” said the Venezuelan official.
The President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, had also commented on the decision, arguing that it was a “final, definitive and mandatory judgment in which he agreed to Nicaragua by confirming that Colombia implemented a State policy that has violated jurisdiction and sovereign rights of Nicaragua”.
One of the points that the Central American nation had also discussed in previous audiences was that the Colombian Navy patrolled foreign waters, harassing local fishing boats and protecting missions arriving from South American shores. However, President Iván Duque told the public that “in no case is the presence of the Navy a threat of the use of force as Nicaragua intended since the beginning of the process, that request was rejected.”
Similarly, the Colombian president assured that his Government will not allow Nicaragua to limit the rights of his country in the Caribbean Sea, nor those of the raizal community of the San Andrés and Providencia archipelago. “The Court did not accept Nicaragua's claim that Colombia should be sentenced to pay compensation, it also rejected that country's claim that the case should remain open until Colombia will ensure compliance with the 2012 judgment,” he said after hearing the ruling.
For the time being, the country has closed the door to a negotiation with Nicaragua “at least as long as I am the president of Colombia,” Duque told the media. The head of state argued that Daniel Ortega is “a dictator”.
*With information from EFE
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