GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC -Guyana has welcomed the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, who is heading a six-member delegation to the Caribbean Community 9CARICOM) country until Monday next week.
A government statement said that during his visit, Jaishankar would hold bilateral talks with his Guyanese counterpart, Hugh Hilton Todd, and will also co-chair the meeting of the Guyana/India Joint Commission, during which the two sides will discuss deepening cooperation in the areas of education, health, agriculture, investment, Infrastructure, and energy.
The Indian government minister will pay a courtesy call on President Irfaan Ali. The visit “comes when bilateral relations between Guyana and India continue to be strong and mutually beneficial.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud, has met with a delegation from China’s Shandong Province to discuss areas of cooperation, trade, and investment between Guyana and the Province.
Persaud urged the delegation on Thursday to foster greater collaboration in several areas, including agriculture and industry, while assuring Guyana’s continued commitment to addressing shared global issues such as development and poverty reduction.
While noting that exports to China have increased due to rising oil shipments, he challenged the delegation to increase imports from Guyana, especially regarding trade in non-oil products.
Deputy Director-General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Shandong Provincial People’s Government, Baiwei Chen, who is leading the delegation, spoke about the commitment of the Province to strengthening cultural and economic relations with Guyana.
Shandong Province is the third largest in China in terms of GDP, at around US$1.8 trillion, and is the most significant industrial producer and one of the top manufacturing provinces. It is also one of the leading provinces in terms of agriculture trade.
On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that Suriname’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Albert Ramdin, held talks with his counterpart here.
“The Ministers reaffirmed the commitment of Guyana and Suriname to pursue the initiatives agreed to within the Strategic Dialogue and Cooperation Platform (SDCP). They reiterated the commitment of the Presidents of Guyana and Suriname to strengthening the bilateral relations through enhanced and sustained dialogue, and practical and effective programs for cooperation that would benefit the people of both countries,” according to the statement issued following the discussions.
It said the ministers also agreed on a strategy to advance discussions in the coming months on several subjects. In this regard, Todd emphasized the two priority areas for Guyana, which are of mutual interest and benefit to both countries, namely, fishing licenses for Guyanese Fisherfolk and building the bridge over the Corentyne River.
The MOU establishing the SDCP was signed by Guyana and Suriname during a Presidential visit to Suriname in November 2020 to enhance cooperation by establishing several working groups in several areas, including Infrastructure, agriculture, security, health, trade, and the environment.
and then 