The government of Nicaragua has responded to the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice regarding the maritime dispute with Colombia.
The dispute involves the delimitation of Nicaragua’s continental shelf in the Caribbean, particularly in relation to Colombia’s archipelago of San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina.
The Court ruled in favor of Colombia, stating that Nicaragua does not have the right to extend its continental shelf beyond the nautical mile baseline of the archipelago.
The Court’s president, Joan Donoghue, emphasized that Nicaragua has no claim to an overlapping area with Colombia’s boundaries.
However, the Nicaraguan representative at the international organization of justice, Carlos Argüello, made it clear that the issue is not concluded with this ruling.
He stated that there are still areas to be studied and resolved.
He also highlighted that the Court acknowledged the untouched 200-mile limit of Nicaragua, which was established in 2012, but also raised the possibility of extending within Colombia’s 200-mile limit.
Argüello mentioned that Nicaragua has been working for decades to protect and delimit its territory.
The country has successfully established borders and delimited maritime spaces with neighboring countries such as Honduras and Costa Rica.
According to Argüello, Nicaragua’s territory is now practically complete for the first time in its history.
The maritime dispute between Colombia and Nicaragua has been ongoing for a long time and has involved multiple lawsuits.
In the past two decades, Colombia has already lost some of its maritime territory to Nicaragua.
Overall, Nicaragua has responded to the Hague ruling, expressing that the matter is not concluded and further study and resolution are required.
The country remains committed to protecting its territorial interests.