Govt. allocates $3.9B for missions, consulates- As Guyana seeks to strengthen presence in Middle East

Feb 15, 2021 News

Kaieteur News– The government is seeking to set aside $3.9B for Guyana’s missions and consulates abroad. This according to its annual budget presentation held on Friday at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACC).
Presenting the budget, Senior Minister within the Office of the President responsible for finance, Dr. Ashni Singh indicated that part of this money will be used to establish two new missions in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The reason for these new missions, Singh explained, is part of his government’s vision to strengthen Guyana’s presence in the Middle East. Currently Guyana has consulates in five other Middle East countries, including an embassy in Kuwait. Apart from Kuwait Guyana have consulates in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Cyprus.
Singh said too, his government will continue to consolidate Guyana’s relations with its traditional partners.

The Guyanese Embassy in Kuwait.

Guyana has a total of seven more embassies abroad, namely in the United States of America, neighbouring Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil, Belgium, Cuba and China.
Apart, these embassies have established high commissions in Switzerland, the United Kingdom, India, South Africa, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago.
Guyana also has consulates in Greece, Russia, Botswana, Japan, Jamaica, Grenada, Belize and the Dominican Republic.
In addition to support for Guyana’s missions and consulates, Singh said that his government is also seeking to establish a Diaspora Council to ensure engagement with its diaspora in a structured manner.
The government also plans, Singh continued to create a “one stop shop” for Guyanese overseas to engage in trade and investment through collaboration with Guyana’s office of investment. A virtual Diaspora Council is also expected to be held sometime this year once the diaspora engagement strategy and plan of action is finalized.
During his presentation, Singh also echoed that Guyana will continue to fight as one to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity over the Essequibo which Venezuela wants to claim.
The Essequibo has been at the center of a bitter territorial controversy between Venezuela and Guyana since Guyana’s independence and is currently an ongoing matter before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Guyana, according to reports, had used part of the US$18M it received from oil major ExxonMobil as a signing bonus in 2016 to defend its territorial integrity at the ICJ.

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