Foreign Ministry records fair year in 2009
Georgetown, GINA, January 6, 2009.
It was a year in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was determined to manifest the fact that a small developing nation can stand tall, proud and strong among the giants of the international arena by helping to promote the cardinal principles of respect for international law, the peaceful settlement of disagreements among and between States, international cooperation to combat common threats and equal rights for all mankind.
With an experienced and committed staff at the foreign ministry, Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett’s focus on issues pertinent to those principles and the promotion of Guyana’s interests abroad, remained paramount throughout the year.
As the minister reflected on the work of her ministry for 2009, there was a clear indication of satisfaction with the progress made: from the all important safeguarding of Guyana’s territorial integrity to the consolidation of linkages with existing trading partners and the fostering of new ones, promoting regional cooperation and facilitating the development agenda of sector ministries through international cooperation initiatives and mechanisms a lot has been achieved.
For the ministry, a key highlight was the tabling in the National Assembly of the Maritime Zones Bill which has been sent to a Special Select Committee. The tabling of the Bill marks a key step in ensuring that Guyana can fully benefit from the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – especially as it relates to the protection of Guyana’s rights to the exploitation of the living and non-living resources in the waters offshore Guyana – that is in the territorial sea, contiguous zone, exclusive economic zone and the potential extended continental shelf. The efforts at safeguarding Guyana’s rights under UNCLOS resulted in Guyana formally providing information to the United Nations Secretary General aimed at securing Guyana’s right to extend its maritime boundary up to 150 nautical miles beyond the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.
Heads of Missions Meeting
Heads of Guyana’s Diplomatic Missions abroad had much to discuss as they gathered on home-turf for the first time in nine years to reflect on challenges and strides and to prepare for forthcoming developments.
Convened at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, the initiative brought together all the heads of Guyana’s overseas embassies, high commissions and consulates and was themed “Repositioning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to effectively promote the national interest”. The main objective was to ensure that all the missions are familiar with Guyana’s policies, are more prepared to advance the country’s foreign policy, support development programmes and to generally promote the image of Guyana as a stable, developing State ready for foreign investment and tourists.
At the conference, Rodrigues-Birkett, indicated, “We will certainly be looking at new alliances that we need to make and strengthening the traditional ones that we’ve had. Traditionally, we’ve been dealing with the ABC countries of (United States of) America, (Great) Britain and Canada but we’re also looking at our relations with other countries like Brazil, and also what we want to do in the Middle East, Asia and so on.”
Further, she had indicated that administrative issues would have also been reviewed to ensure that the missions’ work is enhanced through timely and effective administrative support mechanisms.
Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo delivered the feature address at the opening session, and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and the other members of the Cabinet were on hand to interact with the leaders of Guyana’s Foreign Service.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, with distinguished leaders and heads of Guyana's overseas missions and consular offices.
Relations with United States & Canada
It is noteworthy that US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, lauded Guyana’s Climate Change leadership and the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). Canada’s presence in Guyana was reinforced with the installation of a new High Commissioner, His Excellency François Montour, in the latter part of 2009, indicative of continued confidence to work with the government and the private sector in mutually beneficial ways.
South-South Cooperation
Guyana ratified the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR Treaty), part of a move to strengthen existing alliances and creating new ones on the South American continent. Guyana will chair UNASUR in 2010, which will entail hosting a Summit of Heads of State of UNASUR; as well as meetings leading up to the Summit.
UNASUR member states.
UNASUR is an intergovernmental union integrating two existing customs unions: Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations, as part of a continuing process of South American integration. Modeled on the European Union, the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty was signed on May 23, 2008, at the Third Summit of Heads of State, held in Brasília, Brazil.
Presidents of UNASUR member states, third from right is President Bharrat Jagdeo.
Brazil
Guyana’s ongoing friendly and cooperative relations with Brazil were further enhanced with the Official Inauguration of the Takutu River Bridge on September 14, 2009 by Their Excellencies the Presidents of Brazil and Guyana. The two Presidents also took the opportunity to engage in discussions aimed at enhancing the Guyana/Brazil Cooperation Programme and signed eight Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding and Executive Programme, which addresses areas such as promotion of trade and investment, a special border regime for Lethem and Bon Fim and the abolition of visas for business purposes.
The Government of Guyana is currently considering establishing a Consulate General in Boa Vista to be headed by a career diplomat and appropriate staff.
Venezuela
Relations between Guyana and its western neighbour have not been better in recent memory. Guyana and Venezuela reaffirmed their commitment to the United Nations Secretary General’s Good Offices Process which is aimed at assisting the two countries in their search for a practical solution to the controversy, which arose from the Venezuelan contention that the Arbitral Award that definitively settled the boundary between them, is null and void. In October 2009, the two countries jointly proposed a candidate to the UN Secretary General to be his Special Representative to the Process.
Meanwhile, there has been a plethora of tangible cooperation activities in the areas of social development (construction of a Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration of the Homeless in Guyana) trade (export of rice to the tune of some US$18M), initiatives aimed at coordinating efforts to combat the trade in illicit drugs (meeting of national officials from both States took place in November 2009 to work on this) and advancement in discussions to conclude and MOU for the treatment of vessels and crews from either State for alleged illegal fishing.
Guyana is also looking at the possibility of enhancing the assistance it provides to its nationals in Venezuela through the establishment of Consular representation in Puerto Ordaz since there are over 30,000 Guyanese living in that location.
Cuba
Guyana and Cuba have continued to build upon the spirit of cooperation that has characterized their diplomatic relations and which has contributed to the development of Guyana’s human resource base especially in the areas of education and health.
During a visit to Cuba, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett held official meetings with the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, and the Vice President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, where the discussions centred on issues pertinent to the Guyana/Cuba bilateral relationship; as well as matters of interest to both countries within the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
While in Cuba, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett visited and held talks with Guyanese scholarship students studying at the Latin American School of Medical Sciences.
Having provided financing for Guyana’s National Ophthalmology Hospital at Port Mourant, Berbice, the Government of Cuba also seconded specialized staff, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, administrators and bio-medical technicians, who will operate the facility until Guyanese medical students currently undergoing training in Cuba return to serve their country.
In recognition of the strong ties that exist between Guyana and Cuba and to express gratitude to Cuba for their consistent support to Guyana, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett moved a Motion in the National Assembly to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution on August 6th, 2009.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
In July, Guyana hosted the 30th CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting, a session that was highly successful in the strengthening of regionalism in the Caribbean Basin. On the issue of climate change, the Liliendaal Declaration on Climate Change was endorsed by the Heads of Government. With respect to the free movement of CARICOM Nationals, the Heads of Government agreed to a new category, that of household domestics, to which the CARICOM Free Movement of Skills Certificates would be issued to as of January 1, 2010.
Significantly, President Jagdeo, the chief architect of Guyana’s foreign policy, assumed the Chairmanship of the regional body at a time when the Caribbean was grappling with the implications of the global financial crisis on developing and vulnerable economies and the realities of the climate change on low-lying and island territories.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett seated behind President Bharrat Jagdeo and CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Edwin Carrington.
Guyana’s presence and contributions within CARICOM cannot be under-stated, especially in the context of the stabilization of the Common External Tariff (CET) and cement, to follow procedures approved by COTED, and the call for a rationalization of the region’s Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM). In 2009, the CRNM was brought under the auspices of the Secretariat, renamed the Office of Trade Negotiation (OTN), now based in Barbados and headed by Ambassador Gail Mathurin, who holds the position of Director-General.
New Partnerships with Middle East
Presidential visits to the Middle East were influenced by the conviction that Guyana needs to broaden its economic diplomacy, which currently is mostly restricted to North America, Europe, Brazil and China. The Middle East is viewed as area from which investments flows can be secured.
Libya
Libya has agreed to open the Libyan People's Bureau in Guyana, and has sent a team of investors to explore investment possibilities here. Libya has also assured that Guyana’s indebtedness to that country will not affect its future involvement in economic ventures in Guyana.
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President Bharrat Jagdeo and King Abdullah 11, of Jordan . In centre is Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (Photo courtesy Jordan News Agency).
Jordan
In pursuance of extended economic diplomacy, talks were held with King Abdullah II on issues relating to trade and investment (with emphasis on exploiting opportunities in agriculture, exporting natural products and processed goods), culture and diplomatic relations between the two nations, with. Collaboration in the areas of technology, education, health, tourism and energy and climate change was also discussed during the meeting. President Jagdeo reiterated the need for small countries to coordinate their efforts to ensure that the developed world make decisions that would benefit all stakeholders.
Protecting Guyanese
Guyana’s foreign policy was also brought to the defence of Guyanese nationals living abroad, particularly those who are living in sister CARICOM States and who were perceived as being targeted by the immigration authorities/policies of those States. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs took action to defend the rights of those Guyanese nationals while, President Jagdeo, at an interactive media session held at the CARICOM Secretariat, on June 12, added his voice in support and emphasized that he would not permit Guyanese to be unfairly treated anywhere, particularly referring to the manner in which Guyanese were alleged to be treated in Barbados.
Lodging a protest and providing evidence to the Antiguan Government that their Immigration authorities were withholding the passports of Guyanese children contrary to international norms, resulted in the Government of Antigua immediately addressing the situation.
For decades, there have been reports of mistreatment of Guyanese by immigration authorities of some CARICOM Member States. The reports of mistreatment escalated in the middle of the year.
Re-migrant Program
Approvals for persons applying for re-migrant status continued, with 254 applications being approved in 2009; including 135 from the US and 32 from Barbados. In 2010, the Foreign Ministry will be collaborating with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Revenue Authority to ensure that all who have acquired duty free concessions under this Program are adhering to Government’s requirements in this regard and that there are no breaches of the stipulated agreements. Since 2005, 926 persons have applied to the Ministry and qualified under the program.
Guyana at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), convened in Trinidad and Tobago, was described as a success. The issue of Climate Change took center stage at the Meeting and Guyana played an important role in ensuring a strong Declaration that reflects the interests of Guyana and the region as a whole. Guyana’s high-level delegation was led by His Excellency President Jagdeo and included the Honourable Minister Rodrigues-Birkett. Guyana achieved prominence during the Meeting and related events through the participation of His Excellency President Jagdeo who is recognized as a leader in the area of Climate Change. In addition, the President held several bilateral meetings including with the Prime Ministers of Australia and the United Kingdom and the President of South Africa.
Leaders of Guyana's Foreign Ministry, from left to right, Director-General, Elisabeth Harper, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett, President Jagdeo and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds .
International Organizations in Guyana
The work of international organizations in Guyana continues to be an important ingredient in Guyana’s development. Added to the list of international organizations in 2009 were the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Office for Migration (IOM).
Foreign Presence
Mexico established an embassy in Guyana in February 2009, becoming the first Central American country to establish a diplomatic mission in Guyana. As part of its efforts to establish further linkages with the countries of CARICOM, Mexico has offered fifty (50) scholarships to CARICOM Member States to allow their nationals to pursue studies in Mexico in the areas of health, agriculture, communications and technology.
In addition to Mexico, new Ambassadors were accredited to Guyana from Canada, Cuba and Brazil in 2009.
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