Latest update December 25th, 2024 1:10 AM
Latest News
- Guyanese losing millions from Govt. and Opposition’s failure to to manage oil sector
- ‘Guyana’s Stabroek Block success is like a Michelin Star Restaurant’ – Exxon official
- Gaza appeals for help as Israeli army attacks key hospitals
- Face the Press, Mr. President!
- State makes application to revoke Brutus’ bail
Foreign Ministry to target bilateral states for deepened economic cooperation, trade next year
In the coming year, the coalition administration proposes to target a selected group of bilateral states with the objective of deepening economic cooperation and trade.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge
This is according to Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge.
The politician said that there will be increased focus on the strengthening of economic relations for the promotion of Guyana’s trade, investment and tourism potential and opportunities utilizing existing arrangements such as the Partial Scope agreement with Brazil.
Arising out of the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Greenidge said that his Ministry will be pursuing the review of this agreement in a bid to broaden the range of products covered, especially those which Guyana can export to Brazil.
The Minister said that this effort is to give effect to the strategic objective of strengthening Guyana’s political, economic and social relations with targeted countries through the outcomes of structured bilateral mechanisms and high-level visits to reflect national priorities and the CARICOM agenda.
Additionally, the Foreign Affairs Minister said that Guyana remains committed to multilateralism and a rules-based international order. To this end, he said that the Ministry will continue as far as possible to participate and play an active role in all fora of the United Nations (UN) system and its specialised agencies, funds and programmes in promoting the pillars of multilateral activity, namely global security, sustainable development, human rights and international law.
He stated, “We will continue to embrace all initiatives aimed at strengthening the UN system and its central role in multilateralism. We are of the belief that the resolution of international conflicts should be peaceful and in accordance with the centrality of the UN Charter and the principles of international law”.
Greenidge commented that the policy advanced by the Ministry therefore recognises that to achieve a better life for all, development and security are best addressed through adequate attention to all global threats facing humanity.
Speaking to the Guyanese Diaspora, the Foreign Affairs Minister said that this remains an important partner in the national development programme. He shared that as a follow-up to the High Level Meeting on Migration held in September of this year, the Permanent Mission will play an active role in the negotiations relating to the global code of conduct of refugee and migration to be crafted in 2017.
He said that the Ministry will continue to promote the strengthening of South-South cooperation and will seek to play an active role in the formulation of the agendas of the South in all relevant fora in order to ensure that they are supportive of Government’s national interest.
“We will continue our engagement with countries of the South through participation in the Non-Aligned Movement; Group of 77; the Africa-South America and the Arab-South America mechanisms. We believe that this is essential for building important regional partnerships, especially for the translation of international commitments to concrete actions,” Greenidge expressed.
Significantly, the Foreign Affairs Minister disclosed that perhaps the most significant trend during the year was the increased emphasis placed on establishing close linkages between Guyana’s foreign policy and its domestic developmental aspirations.
In this regard, he stated that the Ministry’s international outreach has been tailored to create the most propitious climate for domestic growth, with a focus on green growth. He said that this proactive outreach has already shown results in the number of offers received from several bilateral partners for development of projects to be implemented in 2017 in the area of renewable energy and disaster management. In this regard, Italy has committed to the greening of Bartica.
As such, the Foreign Affairs Minister said that in 2017 the Ministry will seek to pursue the possibility of Guyana becoming a pilot country volunteer for a Review of Guyana’s implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Animals!
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Ah, Christmas—the season of goodwill, good cheer, and, let’s not forget, good riddance!... more
Breaking the Chains of Poverty: A need for political will
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The year 2024 has underscored a grim reality: poverty continues to be an unyielding... more
Weekend Cartoon
