Guyana accredits new Bangladeshi, Finnish diplomats

President David Granger on Wednesday morning accepted the credentials of the new High Commissioner of Bangladesh and the Ambassador of Finland to Guyana at State House, as he seeks to strengthen Guyana’s ties with foreign nations.
The Guyanese Head of State accredited Mohammad Ziauddin as the new Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Guyana, during which time he called for the cordial relations between the two countries to be significantly enhanced, particularly in the area of climate change.

During brief remarks, President Granger stated that Guyana and Bangladesh have shared cordial relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1972, sharing common positions on various international affairs, as well as common commitment to the principles and objectives of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth.
The Head of State noted that given that the two countries were highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, this was an area in which they should pursue cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels. As such, the President said that Guyana looked forward to learning more about the steps that Bangladesh was taking to combat the threats posed by climate change.
“Guyana and Bangladesh together can continue to agitate for increased and more rapid climate financing for small-island developing and low-lying coastal states,” the President remarked.
The Bangladeshi High Commissioner disclosed that he highly anticipated meeting with the President and his excitement stemmed from having absorbed information about Guyana’s history and observed the beauty of the country and its warm and friendly people.
He said that the Government of Bangladesh believed that in today’s globalised world, relations should be strengthened with “friends on distant shores”, adding that his country now saw it as important to reach out to countries in Central and South America to build the bridges of friendship.
“It is now time to explore the untapped potentials of our two countries for further development of our peoples. My primary objective would be to strengthen cooperation and the overall relationship between our two countries… I shall remain committed to taking the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries to a new height. I will do my best to bring our two countries closer… I know that with your blessings that our venture will be successful,” he posited.
Meanwhile, climate change, along with oil production, was also highlighted when the non-resident Finnish Ambassador, Jukka Pietikäinen, presented his Letters of Credence to the Guyanese leader.
After presenting his credentials, the Finnish Ambassador, in brief remarks, pointed out that the significant oil finds over the past two years in Guyana would provide massive opportunities to grow the country’s economy.
To this end, he expressed his country’s readiness to assist Guyana in the process of changing and developing the dynamics of the country.
“The challenge is to translate its future economic wealth into sustainable growth and prosperity of the citizens. Finland stands ready to support your nation in these endeavours,” he asserted. The diplomat added that his country has the expertise and technology that would be needed by Guyana going forward.
President Granger pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979, the two countries have shared an amicable relationship, one he hoped would continue in the future as they worked towards common goals, particularly in the area of climate adaptation and mitigation and sustainable energy development.
“We are committed to a low-carbon, low-emission trajectory of development. We look forward to working with you to strengthen cooperation in the areas of environmental protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation, during your tenure… Guyana, a small State, continues to make a big contribution to the global efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. We applaud Finland’s commitment to reduce its emissions substantially and to implement measures to arrest global temperature rises and its support for developing countries in their quest to build greater climate resilience,” President Granger outlined.
Moreover, the Head of State also spoke of Guyana’s ongoing efforts to establish a ‘green’ State, which emphasises protection of the environment, preservation of the country’s biodiversity, provision of eco-tourism and eco-educational services and the promotion of practical measures to ensure climate adaptation.