Colombia celebrated this Thursday the decision of International Court of Justice (ICJ) which prevents Nicaragua extend its continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles which determine its maritime border with the Andean country, a decision that closes a decades-long dispute.
The International Court with its headquarters in The Hague rejected that the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina lies within Nicaragua’s maritime border and reaffirmed the boundaries it had already established in November 2012, when it granted Colombia sovereignty over the islands but forced it to cede almost 75,000 square kilometers of the Caribbean Sea to a Central American country.
colombian president Gustavo Petrohe described what happened as “big win” for his country and said that “the ICJ disagreed with Nicaragua’s claims to extend its continental shelf”.
Meanwhile, the Vice President of Nicaragua, Rosario Murillohe said that his country was recognized as “firm, final and binding compliance” verdict” and added that the nation “wishes to emphasize that it has always resorted to the highest court of justice”, which is a “tangible demonstration” of its commitment to the “mandates of the Court”.
“Nicaragua hopes that Colombia recognizes the value and effectiveness of all the judgments of the Court, especially the sentence imposed in 2012,” added Murillo.
Following that ruling, handed down 11 years ago, Managua considered that there is a natural extension of the continent that extends beyond its 200 nautical miles and filed another lawsuit in 2013 asking the international court to recognize this, despite the fact that the territory it claimed the right overlaps with the exclusion zone Colombia.
During the trial, Colombia’s lawyers rejected the Central American country’s request, arguing that Bogotá was not a signatory United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which recognizes continental shelves.
An argument that Nicaragua rejected, arguing that customary law – which is based on customary international practice – can also be used to demarcate territorial boundaries at sea.
THE WORK OF THE THREE GOVERNMENTS
Colombia’s triumph in The Hague is a direct result of the work of governments Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), Iván Duque (2018-2022) and Petrowhose mandate began last year.
Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Alvaro Leyvahe believed that it was possible to “maintain sovereignty intact before a neighboring country and open the door to the defense of the Caribbean basins”, something that “must call for national unity, putting aside useless conflicts”.
Accordingly, former President Santos y Maria Angela Holguinwho was Minister of Foreign Affairs during his government, confirmed that “this closes a long chapter in the recent history of Colombia, that of the litigation before the ICJ.”
“It was ten years of litigation that was added to the other eleven of the first process of Nicaragua against Colombia for territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation, concluding more than two decades of legal disputes between the two countries,” added Santos and Holguín.
He is also a former president Ivan Duque (2018-2022) He celebrated the verdict and said that “Colombia won today, but the position of the inapplicability of the 2012 verdict must be maintained.”
“Colombia has defended its sovereignty despite withdrawing from the jurisdiction of the ICJ after its unjust verdict in 2012,” Duque added.
CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNMENT OF DANIEL ORTEGA
Nicaraguan agent before the ICJ, Carlos Arguellohe said his country “came out well” in the dispute with Colombia, despite the negative ruling, because “the right guaranteed by the 2012 ruling” was “reaffirmed.”
His country’s legal team, he said, had done an excellent job, “so we don’t have to feel bad.”
“In no way, this is a different case that has never been before the Court, a case that has been handled differently from all previous cases,” he said.
However, the opposition does not hesitate to criticize the Government and politicians Felix Maradiagawho was freed by Nicaraguan authorities on February 9 and deported to the United States along with 221 other people, who were also stripped of their citizenship, blamed the government of Daniel Ortega for today’s judicial failure.
“Daniel Ortega’s tyranny has harmed the sovereign interests of Nicaraguans and is seen as a risk to hemispheric security,” he said.
Also a reborn opposition leader Juan Sebastian Chamorro He expressed the opinion that “the failure of this last request of Nicaragua before Colombia reflects the poverty of the foreign policy of the dictatorship.”
The sentence handed down by the ICJ this Thursday is binding, but its application depends solely on the goodwill of states.
Source: Panama America
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
