President David Granger on Wednesday morning accepted letters of credence to accredit Brazil’s new ambassador to Guyana.
At a ceremony held at the Ministry of the Presidency, President Granger accepted the letters and formally accepted Her Excellency Maria Clara Duclos Carisio as Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Guyana.
“Guyana and Brazil are both continental neighbours and collaborators in security and development. Your accreditation is a consolidation of our cordial relations and commitment to our common ideals,” Granger told the new ambassador in his address at the ceremony as he pledged the support of the government as she carries out her duties.
Granger noted that Guyana and Brazil have enjoyed relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties some 51 years ago. He added that those ties were founded on “mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, cooperation for mutual benefit, respect for treaties and international law and the maintenance of international peace and security.”
According to Granger, Guyana is appreciative of the assistance it has received from the government of Brazil over the years in civilian and military technical cooperation projects. He cited the Brazilian Cooperation Agency’s Technical Cooperation Project: Capacity Building in Institutional and Policy Structures for Water Resources Management in Guyana in 2019, which provided training for Guyanese technicians by the National Water Agency of Brazil; the Complementary Agreement to the Basic Agreement on Technical Cooperation signed in 2017, which resulted in the successful drilling of eight artesian wells, by the Brazilian Army’s 6th Construction Engineering Battalion in the Rupununi Region; the Brazilian Cooperation Agency’s Technical Cooperation training in phytosanitary methods and the harmonisation of procedures and legislation related to the Control and Eradication of the Carambola Fruit Fly, offered to Guyanese personnel of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute; the Guyana-Brazil Joint Commission on Police Cooperation and Drugs, which builds capacity and enhances cooperation between the Guyana Police Force and the Federal Police of Brazil to combat trans-border crimes; and the Complementary Agreement to the Joint Commission for the Development of Infrastructure Projects signed in 2017, establishing a Transportation Technical Committee tasked with assessing the modalities for the pavement of the Mabura-Lethem phase of the Linden-Lethem-Port Georgetown Link project.
“Guyana and Brazil share a common vision of the continent of South America as a zone of peace,” Granger added, while noting that the two countries also share a common interest in preserving the “Guiana Shield” and expressed the importance of Brazil and Guyana working together to explore sustainable pathways of environmental protection. On that note he stated that the government looks forward to strengthening collaborations through institutions like the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organisation. He also said Guyana will continue to work with Brazil to advance the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America
Granger said, too, that as Guyana moves towards establishing a “Green State,” it will see an increased focus on the protection of the environment, biodiversity and promotion of energy from renewable sources.
