Ecuadorans will no longer require visas to travel to Guyana from September 1st of this year, as part of a reciprocal visa-waiver agreement between the two countries.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett made the announcement and handed the signed waiver document to Foreign Affairs, Trade and Integration Minister of the Republic of Ecuador Ricardo Patiño yesterday at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at making way for mechanisms for regular bilateral political consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Patiño’s visit to Guyana coincides with his visits to Suriname and Cuba, which are also aimed at strengthening bilateral relations in education, culture, trade and tourism. Ecuador’s Minister of Tourism Freddy Ehlers also accompanied Patiño and the media was told that he spent his day meeting his counterpart, acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali.
“We are meeting at the bilateral level looking at ways how we can strengthen our relations with Ecuador… we have agreed that we will sign an agreement for political consultations,” said Rodrigues-Birkett. She stated that although Guyana is located in South America, for historical reasons, ties have always been stronger with the Caribbean. However, the administration is moving to change that. “…That is changing. Now, we see our position in South America, in UNASUR, as complementary to our membership with Caricom. What we have been trying to do is improve ties and strengthen our relations with countries in South America…” she said.
They also discussed areas where expertise and experiences can be shared, the minister informed. “Ecuador has tremendous experience in terms of dealing with persons with disabilities and we discussed that this morning. And how we can probably learn for Ecuador… we decided we will look to Ecuador to share those experiences with us… the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be following up here with the Commission on Disability,” she added.
Further, she stated that the two countries also had talks pertaining to Paraguay’s suspension from UNASUR. “We think that democracy is very important. Any action that would threaten that process… including what we believe is a breach of natural justice; that we must come out and speak about…” she said.
The Ecuadoran Minister said that within the last five years, his country has developed significantly economically and it wants to share expertise and experiences with Guyana, envisioning that the same courtesy would be reciprocated. He stressed that Guyana should look to Ecuador not as a competitor on the South American market but as an ally as they work to achieve a common goal of each country’s holistic development.
Patiño also paid a courtesy call on President Donald Ramotar and relayed a request by his President that Ramotar visit Ecuador at anytime convenient to him. He also met with Caricom Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque yesterday afternoon.
