Nicaragua’s Policy over the Disputed Territories
I respect the Protocol signed between Nicaragua-my country-and Colombia on May1930 concerning the territorial dispute between these two countries following the treaty of March 1928. In this regard therefore I respect the territorial sovereignty of my country and that of my neighbor Colombia that extends over the Island of San Andres, Santa Catalina, Providencia and others including the islets and reefs that form part of the Andrés Archipelago. Consequently, I expect Colombia to reciprocate the respect by respecting our territorial integrity as well by recognizing the Mosquito Coast extending from San Juan River and Cape Gracias plus Mangle Chico and Mangle Grande Island.
The very object of the issue at hand is whether the treaty and the subsequent protocol solve the entire dispute. It should be noted however that the treaty did not apply to the Serrana, Quitasuen’o and Roncardo which were in dispute between the United States and America and Colombia. This implies that Colombia in my view is a habitual territorial aggressor.
My countries formal declaration of the sovereignty for the disputed 82nd Meridian is in line with the norms of international and this justifies the exploration of oil in that region, Quitasuen’o in particular, since it is a region under dispute between the two nations. The two nations are free to conduct their business in the region since it does not fall under the sole jurisdiction of one of the countries yet. Colombia therefore does not hold enough ground for filing the diplomatic note against my country for conducting oil exploration in this region.
My country has recently applied to the international court to solve the territorial dispute after Colombia and the United States dismissed the 1928 treaty. This shows the commitment by my country to ending this long standing dispute.
