Georgetown, Guyana – (May 16, 2018) President David Granger, today, said that Guyana is committed to working with Guatemala “to jointly develop a mutually beneficial programme to strengthen cultural and economic ties”. Delivering remarks at the Accreditation Ceremony for His Excellency, Mario Estuardo Torres Townson, Guatemala’s new Ambassador to Guyana, the Head of State said that he envisages increased collaboration in ensuring the security of the Caribbean Basin shared by both countries.

Like Guyana, President Granger said that Guatemala, as a member of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), is signatory to the Havana Declaration and that CELAC has pledged to continue to work to consolidate the Region as a ‘zone of peace’.

The President also noted that the mutual reciprocal visits by respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 2013 and 2014 initiated a useful dialogue on possible collaboration in several fields. He noted that at this time, Guyana is moving towards the establishment of a “green” state, which will focus on “the protection of our environment, the preservation of our biodiversity, the promotion of the use of renewable energy and the adoption of practical measures to ensure climate adaptation”.

President Granger also said that Guyana and Guatemala have both ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. “Our shared concern over the environment remains a basis for continued dialogue, particularly within the framework of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean States and the Organisation of American States.”

Meanwhile, Ambassador Townson lauded the cordial relations that Guyana and Guatemala have enjoyed since they established formal diplomatic ties on May 1, 1992. The Ambassador said that his country’s major areas of interest are regional security, regional development and economic integration and that it is looking forward to increasing cultural and tourism co-operation with Guyana. “Guatemala wants to improve and develop a much better trade and commercial increase between both countries by developing a Partial Scope Agreement, with many products that we have that already where reviewed by all CARICOM States including the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, this will help in many ways by increasing the economy for both Countries,” he said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Carl Greenidge, Minister of Public Affairs, Ms. Dawn Hastings-Williams, Director General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Waddell and other officers from the Ministry also attended the ceremony, which was held at State House.

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