GUYANA in KUWAIT, IsDB and OIC

Dec 19, 2021 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – I read Columnist PEEPING TOM, September 5, 2021, on “Guyana has no economic interests in the Middle East”. https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2021/09/05/guyana-has-no-economic-interests-in-the-middle-east/
With all due respect, the following details are from my experiences serving as Guyana’s 2nd Ambassador to Kuwait, August 1, 2016, to July 31, 2020. Guyana and Kuwait with Diplomatic Relations from August 17, 1995.
Visionary Kuwait Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, with a TEAM of 10 High Level Kuwaitis, VISITED GUYANA on July 19, 2010, during their Latin American States’ Visits. In Kuwait, I learnt that most of His Highness’s Group, questioned the Guyana Visit, and His Highness was confident that Guyana will be a future star, so their visit.
January 20, 2011: the Guyana Embassy was established in Kuwait, with the first Ambassador, Dr. Mohamed Ali Odeen Ishmael, CCH, who served to June 2014.
August 30, 2016, my arrival in Kuwait, and 9 out of 10 persons at ALL LEVELS including Ambassadors did not know, Guyana, with an embassy in Kuwait since 2011. They thought our Embassy was for Ghana or Guinea.
September 2016, Ambassador Dr. Shamir, requested his wife Dr. Maryann, a USA Global Senior Marketing Director to DESIGN a BUSINESS CARD to “Show, Tell, & Know” GUYANA, South America, with flyers, presentations, activities, et al.
KUWAIT and the Middle East are heavy on relationships; afterwards projects are discussed, then decided on with agreements. Relationships do take time to build.
Guyana and Kuwait with 9 Agreements.
1. Agreement on Conducting Bilateral Consultations.
2. Agreement of establishing a Joint Commission for Cooperation.
3. Cultural and Artistic Agreement
4. Agreement for the Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Investments.
5. Trade Agreement.
6. Agreement for The Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes Income and Capital.
7. Air Services Agreement
8. Agreement for Economic and Technical Cooperation.
9. Agreement for Mutual Exemption of Entry Visa for Holders of Diplomatic, Special and Official Passports.

1. DEBT RELIEF to GUYANA from KUWAIT: USD $50.7 Million
Guyana Ministry of Finance Head of Debt Management, reached out to Ambassador Dr. Ally, for Kuwait Debt Relief as she had been trying with past officers without successes.
Ambassador immediately commenced worked on this item. March 2019, Kuwait Wrote OFF 67% of DEBT for USD $50.7 Million. The Remaining 33% for USD $24.9 Million to be repaid in a combination of cash payments and debt swaps. We actively tried for 100% WRITE OFF but had to be mindful of precedents… 67 Nations of the 112 in Kuwait, OWE Kuwait. Weekly herculean efforts with Guyana’s Senior Minister of Finance & MoF Head of Debt Management and Kuwaiti officials all levels.
https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2019/08/18/total-public-debt-stands-at-us1-65b-midyear-report/ Minister said, “Had it not been for that relief, the growth of the public debt from the previous half year would have been 4.5 percent, and not 1.5 percent.”

2. KUWAIT assistances YEARLY to Guyana from 2011, for Embassy, Guyana Villa, 3 Motor Vehicles, local hired staff salaries, etc.: Approximately USD $100,000: Yearly.
3. KUWAIT Fund for Arabic Economic Development: March 2019: Feasibility Study Road Project, Belfield to Rosignol, ECD: GRANT KWD 500,000 = USD $1,635.000
May 11, 2017, to July 31, 2020, served as Guyana ALTERNATE GOVERNOR, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

4. Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Jeddah, SAUDI ARABIA USD $900 Million> Wide Range of Projects: 2018 to 2022 Financing & Technical Assistances: CREDITS & GRANTS. IsDB 43rd Annual Meeting, Tunis, Tunisia, 3rd April – 5th April 2018: IsDB Mission in December 2017, with a work programme. FINANCING and TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, will be directed to KEY DEVELOPMENT AREAS, including ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT; HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; TRADE and COMPETITIVENESS. Herculean efforts with Senior Minister of Finance, Minister of Public Infrastructure and Teams in Guyana and IsDB. Ambassador’s weekly contacts with IsDB Decision Makers.

There existed a huge need for Guyana’s projects feasibility studies for IsDB, Kuwait Sovereign Wealth Fund and Kuwaiti Investors, with my monthly requests, in reports to Guyana.
Projects feasibilities studies are very expensive and through my personal relationships with OPEC Executives, at IsDB 44th Annual Meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, April 5-6, 2019, arranged for an OPEC Team to visit Guyana with an IsDB Team, to assist with projects feasibilities, and Coordination with Guyana’s Ministry of Finance, et al.
5. IsDB Sept 2018 > Reverse Linkage Project between Guyana and Malaysia on Rice Production TOTAL Cost USD $877,700: Providers USD $297,700: Recipient/GUYANA USD $300,000: and IsDB USD$280,000:
6. IsDB September 2018 > POWER UTILITY UPGRADE PROGRAMME USD $20 million > Installment Sales Financing.
7. IsDB July 2018 > PALMS Geriatric Facility ID200,000 = USD $291,000:
8. IsDB > April 2019 > TA Grant for Enhancing Value Chains and trade in Guyana with a value of ~USD 280,000
9. Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) 14th ISLAMIC SUMMIT, MAKKHA, KSA May 31, 2019: COMCEC: Standing Committee for ECONOMIC and COMMERCIAL COOPERATION: GUYANA, Poverty Alleviation > Increasing the Capacity of Vocational Education Centers for the Disabled in Selected OIC Countries, Guyana, Suriname, And Turkey
10. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA): Abu Dhabi, UAE: January 2019 > Renewable Energy Project USD $8: Million, award announcement.
“SHOW, TELL & KNOW’ GUYANA, South America ACTIVITIES in KUWAIT

1. RECYCLING Initiative Programme: Keep Kuwait Clean
2. Kuwait Forum Economic Exhibition, Guyana’s Booth, January 31, 2018, sponsored by Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Kuwait Ministry of Foreign Affairs
3. KUWAIT EXPO 2018: February 6-10, Guyana’s Booth
4. Per the Cultural Agreement on August 4, 2018, Embassy presented a “ONE MAN STEEL BAND” Concert, which was a HUGE HIT.
5. GUYANA at KUWAIT TREE Plantation at AL ABDALIYA Reserve, for 5,000 Tree Saplings planted on 28th December 2019.
6. GUYANA at KUWAIT AVIATION SHOW January 15-18, 2020, promoting Investments, Tourism, & Recycling. 28 countries were invited.
7. 50/25/9: 50th Anniversary of Republic; 25 Years of Diplomatic Relations and 9th Anniversary of Embassy in Kuwait with 14 activities between December 27, 2019, and March 6, 2020.
8. 14 January 2020 – Books on Guyana presented to KUWAIT National Library.
9. 25th, January 2020, 3 Anniversaries with a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for GUYANA and KUWAIT, with 41,543 DIFFERENT STICKERS on a CAR at Kuwait Motor Town. WINNING CAR to be at KUWAIT Vintage & Classic Cars Museum.
10. 112 Embassies are in Kuwait and 96 Countries’ Ambassadors (86%) visited Guyana Embassy. Eight Ambassadors in KUWAIT via my relationships, offered scholarships and best practices visits to their Countries. Guyana was to pursue with Note Verbales, et al.
11. Ambassador Dr. Ally, attended 111 Countries EMBASSIES for their National Days’ Receptions.
12. 1,336 MEDIA coverages through JULY 2020. 112 Embassies are in Kuwait…Guyana enjoys the highest media coverages. Guyana with the reputation of “SINGLE TAKE” Ambassador, meaning, Guyana Ambassador does not need 2nd or 3rd attempts for interviews. A KEY reason GUYANA was extremely popular with TV, Newspapers and Radio, in Kuwait.
13. Embassy’s 1st Floor, as “SHOW, TELL, & KNOW” on Guyana, with pictures, HUGE Kaieteur Falls MURAL on Entire Wall; Past & Current Presidents of Guyana Pictures, Prime Minister, Vice Presidents & Ministers’ Pictures; International Flags Set; TV Screen for Nations’ Anthems; RED CARPET Welcome; Electronic WELCOME Sign; AMY’s Coffee Samples; etc.
Embassy’s 2nd. Floor, with Tributes TO Kuwait: HH AMIRS and MARTYRS.

14. QATAR: December 19, 2018, gave INVESTMENTS Presentation to QATAR Stock Exchange
15. QATAR: December 19, 2018, gave INVESTMENTS Presentation to QATAR UNIVERSITY, School of Business.
16. CAMEROON with NO Embassy in Kuwait. June 2, 2020 Guyana Ambassador and Staff arranged for 165 Cameroonians in Kuwait to be repatriated to Cameroon due to COVID-19.
17. DUBAI World Expo, October 20 to April 10, 2022, with FREE Return Air Tickets & Hotel Accommodations for Guyana’s Official Attendees.
The above is a GUIDE for the huge potential for GUYANA in Kuwait, The Middle East, QATAR, UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, via RELATIONSHIPS, Trust & Respect.

Sincerely
Dr. Shamir Ally
Guyana Ambassador to Kuwait August 2016 to July 2020