GUYANA and Barbados have signed an Exclusive Economic Zone Cooperation Treaty governing the exercise of joint jurisdiction over part of their respective seabed, water column and airspace.
The treaty, signed early in December of last year, emerged from the fact that, under international law, the exclusive economic zones of the two countries extend for 200 nautical miles from their respective coasts, and overlap in part.
In a joint statement released last evening, Barbados and Guyana said they decided to create a zone of joint jurisdiction for that section of the overlap of their maritime territories in conformity to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to their commitments to CARICOM.
"Both Governments consider this treaty, which is the product of years of negotiation, to be a very important stage in their bilateral cooperation and one that is consistent with their commitments to CARICOM," the joint statement said.
Guyana and Barbados have also committed themselves to "environmentally responsible resource management and to the sustainable development of living and non-living natural resources in the zone."
The countries are also working toward the early conclusion of a Joint Fisheries Licensing Agreement, a Joint Non-Living Resources Commission, and a security agreement to protect against terrorism, smuggling and other illegal activities under the Exclusive Economic Zone Cooperation Treaty.