Guyana has pushed back against Venezuela’s claim to the disputed Essequibo region, telling the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that historical records show the Dutch—not the Spanish—were the first to settle the territory.

The argument was made as oral hearings opened this week at the court in The Hague, where the long-running border issue between the two South American countries is being examined.

The case centres on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, which established the boundary and granted the territory to what was then British Guiana.

Guyana’s agent, Carl Greenidge, laid out the historical case, using maps and records to show that Dutch settlers established a presence in the region as early as 1598.

By 1616, he said, they had founded a colony administered from Fort Kykoveral along the Mazaruni River.

He told the court that Dutch control later passed to the Dutch West India Company in 1621, with administrative authority eventually shifting to Fort Zeelandia.

According to Greenidge, the Dutch presence is still reflected today, with many places in the region retaining Dutch names.

“The Spanish, they were nowhere to be found, not east of the Orinoco, at any rate,” Greenidge said, noting that Spain’s closest settlement was at San Tomé.

Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd also addressed the court, arguing that Venezuela accepted the 1899 ruling for decades before later challenging it.

“It is Guyana’s submission that the 1899 Award is without question legally valid and binding on the parties,” Todd said, adding that the boundary was recognised in practice through official acts, maps and agreements over a 60-year period.

He also argued that Venezuela’s attempt to challenge the award now comes too late and lacks legal basis.

Also appearing for Guyana, international lawyer Paul Reichler rejected claims that Venezuela had been excluded from the original arbitration process.

He said records show Venezuela supported arbitration and relied on the United States to press Britain into agreeing to it.

Reichler said Venezuelan representatives were consulted and that the country approved the 1897 Treaty of Washington, which set the stage for the arbitration.

The Essequibo region, which makes up more than two-thirds of Guyana’s territory, remains at the centre of the dispute.

The ICJ is expected to determine whether the 1899 award remains legally binding.

Oral hearings resume on Wednesday when Venezuela will present it argument.