Dear Editor,
Amidst rattling from Caracas aimed at Guyana to distract from Nicholas Maduro’s domestic problems, Guyana should appoint an ambassador to the Organisation of Islamic Corporation (OIC), a 54- member group of countries that are mostly Asian and African. Since its membership in 1998, Guyana hasn’t appointed a permanent ambassador to the group of 54. This is a diverse group of countries that Guyana needs on its side against Venezuela’s many fraudulent actions and fake news.
While at several OIC gatherings that I attended, I observed that some states like Togo, Benin, Mali and the Ivory Coast are unfamiliar with the Guyana-Venezuela conflict. French speaking African countries are a large group of nations in the OIC. Countries such as Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Côte D’ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Togo, Sene-gal, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia do not have diplomatic ties with Guyana. For this reason, it would be a wise move to engage these nations. I would also urge the opening of a Guyana diplomatic office in Addis Ababa, a major diplomatic hub in Africa and where many multilateral organisations are headquartered. Istanbul and Jakarta are also important diplomatic hubs that will benefit Guyana. It is also welcoming news that Qatar will open an embassy in Guyana, and I suspect that the UAE and Saudi Arabia will follow suit.
There is no doubt that Guyana has expanded ties with many more countries of the world. The government has especially expanded ties with the Global South. The country’s profile has been improved since 2020 and several high level officials visited Guyana. President Irfaan Ali is keen on expanding Guyana’s global leadership and alliances. Guyana is blessed to have new found oil and gas resources to fund diplomacy and global education outreach on the Guyana/Vene-zuela conflict. Georgetown should host more high level meetings of the OIC and continue forging ties with more OIC states. This will enhance Georgetown’s global profile and enhance education on the Guyana/Venezuela issue. As a small state, diplomacy, alliances and capitalizing on OIC brotherhood, are some means available to Guyana to secure its security and sovereignty.
Sincerely,
Ray Chickrie
