Dispute between Guyana and Suriname over maritime boundaries (2000-2007)

Abstract

This paper objective to analyze the main outlines of the dispute about the maritime limits between Guyana and Suriname and the scope of the arbitration award that delimited the maritime border between the two countries. Guyana and Suriname find themselves in a geopolitical position of fusion and meeting between the Caribbean and the Amazon region, providing a rich field of research. The methodology adopted consisted of consulting the specialized bibliography and analysis of official documents presented to the Arbitral Tribunal by both countries, as well as documents referring to the decision of the case. The main considerations about the research point out that the bilateral relationship between Guyana and Suriname was built on the basis of pendular dynamics, that is, they sometimes pointed to an approximation, sometimes to distance, in which attempts to define maritime limits were developed. The claims were arbitrated internationally, whose decision, establishing a single maritime limit, corroborates the gradual process of stability between the two countries.