GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Guyana and the Dominican Republic have agreed to pursue greater collaboration, particularly in energy, agriculture, tourism, trade, ICT, infrastructure, and industry.
A joint communique issued following talks between President Irfaan Ali and his visiting counterpart, Luis Abinader, noted that the two leaders had engaged in discussions focused on enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries.
They hailed the establishment of a Dominican Republic Embassy in Georgetown and the accreditation of the resident Ambassador, Ernesto Torres Pereyra, “as a tangible step in relations which will augur well for enhanced cooperation and facilitate opportunities for further engagement in the advancement of the bilateral agenda between Guyana and the Dominican Republic.”
The statement quoted President Ali as welcoming the keen interest of the private sector from the Dominican Republic in Guyana.
“Both Presidents recognized the vital contribution the two countries ‘ private sectors could make in advancing this agenda and encouraged increased collaboration and partnership between businesses of Guyana and the Dominican Republic, including increased investments by companies from both countries.
“In this regard, they looked forward to the early commencement of commercial flights by Skycana, which would provide the opportunity for increased tourism and greater ease of travel in and out of Guyana.”
The statement said that the two leaders also discussed “issues of mutual interest and concern on the regional, hemispheric and multilateral agendas and undertook to strengthen their resolve to collectively work on advocating in the interest of Small Island Developing States to address challenges including food security, energy security and the impact of climate change.
“They expressed concerns over the great risks posed to their economies by sargassum and agreed to work together to find measures to mitigate the impact,” the statement said, adding that “they reiterated the rule of law, protection of sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect for democracy, the promotion of human rights and sustainable development of their countries as paramount pillars for the maintenance of peace and security in the region.”
The two leaders noted each other’s post-Covid economic recovery efforts. They underscored the value of continued engagement and advocacy at the international level for an enabling environment to facilitate the sustainable development of their countries.
In reviewing the political situation in Haiti, the two heads of state “agreed that Haiti is an essential member of the Caribbean family of nations.
“They, therefore, welcomed the establishment of the CARICOM Eminent Persons Group in Haiti to be supported by a technical team. They pledged their governments’ full support towards achieving political stability in Haiti”.
The statement also noted that the two leaders witnessed the signing of three bilateral agreements, including a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on political consultation, an air services agreement, and an MOU on energy cooperation.
“Further, the two Presidents agreed to establish a high-level working group to advance and monitor the various areas identified for cooperation. President Ali committed to paying a reciprocal visit to the Dominican Republic by the end of June 2023,” the joint state
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