Colombia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday that the country is prepared to deal with Nicaragua on their maritime border dispute.

The statement came shortly after Managua filed a new lawsuit against Bogota with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague asking for a ruling on the exact boundary.

"Colombia is prepared to deal with these unfounded claims of Nicaragua, and will confront it with all of the determination and harshness required to defend Colombia's legitimate rights", said the ministry.

Also on Monday, the Constitutional Court of Colombia announced that it would consider a lawsuit filed by President Juan Manuel Santos against the 1948 American Treaty on Pacific Settlement, which confers jurisdiction over such disputes on the ICJ.

Nicaragua took Colombia to court in 2001 over their maritime dispute, and the ICJ ruled in November that Colombia transfer to Nicaragua the control over some 75,000 square km of Caribbean waters.

The verdict was welcomed by Nicaragua but rejected by Colombia. Bogota accused the ruling of being riddled with mistakes and inconsistencies, and said it would no longer recognize the ICJ's jurisdiction.