Guyana bid farewell to its first Chilean Ambassador, Claudio Rachel Rojas on Thursday evening. Ambassador Rojas was lauded by several Government representatives for his work in Guyana. Among the officials attending the ceremony at the Cara Lodge Hotel, were Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenridge. Delivering brief remarks, Minister Greenridge noted that the historic opening of the Chilean Embassy in Guyana and the appointment of Ambassador Rojas in 2015 has yielded discernable results.
“We have been able to have meetings at the presidential levels which have been marked by significant steps, significant improvement in the level of cooperation. His Excellency, Ambassador Rojas has mentioned some of these in areas that are
Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenridge shakes hands with outgoing Chilean Ambassador Claudio Rachel Rojas
very important to us ranging from language, telecoms, mining and so forth. So, I think we are especially pleased that the efforts and the energy that he has put into his assignment here have yielded such visible fruits and we are very pleased about that,” Minister Greenridge is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.
Ambassador Rojas said it has been a wonderful experience for him serving in Guyana. He noted that both countries faced similar challenges, adding that the steps taken over the past three years were aimed at building stronger ties between the two countries.
“We honour our cultural differences because we believe that in diversity there is richness but also we honour the fact that whatever we do in the field of foreign affairs, we do it for the good of our fellow citizens,” the outgoing Ambassador said.
The Ambassador Rojas noted that since independence, Guyana remains one of the few countries in the Western hemisphere to have maintained a democratic system unlike Chile and other states that have experienced phases of military rule.
Ambassador Rojas was also presented with a token of appreciation for his service.
The Ambassador was the first resident diplomat from Chile since the country established formal relations with Guyana in 1971.
