Head of Delegation of the European Union (EU), Ambassador Robert Kopecký, yesterday met with Guyana’s new Foreign Affairs Minister, Vice President, Carl Greenidge at his office where the two discussed a number of areas of mutual interest.
A statement yesterday from the EU said that Kopecký took the opportunity to congratulate Greenidge on his appointment and to express his gratitude for good cooperation with previous Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.
The release said that both parties welcomed the upcoming Summit between the European Union and Caribbean and Latin American Countries (CELAC) to be held on 10-11 June 2015 in Brussels, Belgium as an occasion to further reinforce cooperation at bi-regional level.
They also affirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation covering the full spectrum of activities ranging from foreign policy to development assistance.
Views were exchanged on some specifics of bilateral relations in the areas of support to the sea defences and broader coastal management, sugar sector, civil society programmes and cultural heritage, among others.
Earlier this year, the EU had said that the absence of budget oversight was among the reasons for it withholding $5.8 billion (€25 million) in funds due to Guyana for sea defence and the sugar sector.
“The latest partial payments related to these two programmes have been temporarily put on hold until all eligibility criteria, inter alia budget oversight, are satisfactorily addressed,” the EU Delegation in Guyana said in a statement. One of the functions of the National Assembly is oversight of the budget. The Assembly was prorogued by President Donald Ramotar on November 10, 2014.
