Venezuelan President to visit on August 31

Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro’s official State visit is scheduled for August 31 and there is a packed agenda which includes a series of meetings to be held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, the Government Information Agency reported on Wednesday.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing said that these meetings will see engagements between the visiting President and President Donald Ramotar, Government and State officials and civil society bodies.

During a recent interview, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said that the two Heads of State will be discussing bilateral, regional, and international issues. This will be Maduro’s first official visit to Guyana in his capacity as President.

Among some of the bilateral issues that will be discussed are Guyana’s associate membership with Mercosur, of which Venezuela is the latest full member.

Additionally, discussions are also expected to be held on the PetroCaribe deal. There are concerns in the region that the terms of the PetroCaribe deal will change. Under the deal, oil is made available to Guyana and other Caribbean countries on concessional terms.