BELIZE-Belize files statement with ICJ regarding border dispute with Guatemala.

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – The Belize government said Wednesday that it filed its written observations with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in response to Guatemala’s written statements.

“The written observations, which consist of two volumes… were filed in the Registry pursuant to Article 85, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Court, within the time limit as extended by the Court in its Order of 16 April 2026,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in a brief statement.

It said Honduras also filed its written observations on Guatemala’s written statement in the Registry the same day.

Belize and Guatemala have a long-standing territorial dispute, with Guatemala claiming more than 11,000 square kilometers of Belizean land, islands and maritime areas. The dispute is now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ)

In March 2000, Belize and Guatemala resumed discussions on their territorial dispute with the assistance of the Organization of American States (OAS) and on November 8, 2000, they signed the first Agreement on Confidence Building Measures, establishing an “Adjacency Line” and a one-kilometer “Adjacency Zone” on either side.

A second Agreement was signed on February 7, 2003, and subsequently amended in September 2005 by the “Agreement on a Framework for Negotiation and Confidence Building Measures between Belize and Guatemala.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister John Briceño said the ICJ would hear oral presentations in the case between Guatemala and Belize from February 22-26 next year.

In a nationwide radio and television broadcast, Briceño said the ICJ registrar informed him that oral presentations in the Belize-Honduras case will be heard from March 5, 2027, regarding sovereignty over the Sapodilla Cayes, and that the hearings will take place in The Hague.

“For too long our borders have been disputed by our neighbors. In keeping with our commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for the rule of law, we have had recourse to the court.

“We are confident that these two court cases will remove all doubts. Belize will be vindicated. Belize has engaged a stellar team of international lawyers and experts to advise us and to present our case before the court,” Briceño said.