A portion of this year’s budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will see the expansion of Guyana’s diplomatic presence in Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and possibly in Ghana, West Africa, subject Minister Hugh Todd yesterday said.
Todd announcement was made during his budget presentation to the National Assembly.
According to Todd, the recent establishment of a mission in Kuwait, Middle East, has opened up many opportunities which have been beneficial for Guyana. It was on this note, the Minister told the House “We are going to focus on the expansion of our diplomatic representation as far as the Middle East.”
He added that the region has great potential to aid Guyana in its developmental agenda as there is a host of private capital which can result in investments here.
“There is a lot of private capital in that region which will help us with foreign investment and public private initiatives and we are looking to tap in to our foreign relations for economic cooperation and resources,” Todd indicated.
Back in October, Guyana was visited by Qatari royal, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. A statement from the Office of the President related that President Irfaan Ali and Al Thani held discussions and identified areas for collaboration.
These include support for the agriculture sector through investments in the halaal industry, expansion of the housing programme, the strengthening of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and support in other critical sectors including energy.
Additionally, he said too, that currently his ministry is in the process of working out a financial model and benefits that can be gained by establishing a diplomatic presence in Ghana.
He noted that they are currently in consultations with stakeholders and will make a decision in due course.
Todd stressed too that they have committed resources in this year’s budget to the establishment of a Guyana-Suriname Commission. The minister said that this commission is vital to the strengthening and advancing of relations between the two countries. He told the National Assembly that an agreement for strategic dialogue between the two countries for co-operation has already been signed. He noted that there will be bilateral engagement on many fronts and the possibility of moving the Guiana Shield initiative forward.
Further, he announced that there plans to return Guyana to helm of the regional food security agenda. In the same breath, he said that they have made provisions in this budget for the establishment of a Caribbean Single Market Economy (CSME) Unit in Guyana which will be headed by an Ambassador.
