GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana’s former foreign affairs minister, Samuel Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Insanally, died on Sunday after a prolonged illness. He was 87 years old.
Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd said he has since spoken with Mrs. Insanally and expressed his condolences.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have learned of the passing of Dr. Rudy Insanally, one of Guyana’s foremost diplomats and a distinguished international statesman,” President Dr. Irfaan Ali said in a brief statement.
He said, “Insanally’s diplomatic acumen and leadership have deservedly earned him our nation’s gratitude.
“As Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2001 to 2008, Dr. Insanally advanced Guyana’s national interest internationally. His life was dedicated to diplomacy and advocating the cause of small states.
“The United Nations was his second home. He was honored to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly and was Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the world’s foremost multilateral institution for many years. These and his tireless exertions in numerous other ambassadorial positions distinguish him as a diplomat par excellence.
I extend my deepest condolences to his entire family,” Ali added.
Insanally was a career diplomat whose first posting had been to the United States in 1966. He had also served as Charge D’Affaires and subsequently Ambassador to Venezuela in the 1970s.
Over the decades, Insanally had served as Guyana’s envoy to the European Commission and several individual European countries.
He also served as Chancellor of the University of Guyana from 1994 to 2001.
He authored three books- ‘Dancing between the Raindrops: A Dispatch from a Small State Diplomat, ‘The Guyanese Culture Fusion or Diffusion?’, and ‘Multilateral Diplomacy for Small States: The Art of Letting Others Have Your Way’.
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