Guyana, Peru pledges stronger cooperation in energy, food & climate security

Guyana is looking to increase cooperation with its South American neighbour of Peru with emphasis being placed on the areas of energy, food security and climate change.

This commitment was made recently when Foreign Secretary, Robert Persaud, met with the Peruvian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Peter Camino, in Lima.
During the engagement, the two senior officials discussed specific areas of ties between the governments and peoples of Guyana and Peru.
According to statements from the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry in Georgetown, the Government of Peru plans to expand its framework of cooperation with Guyana to enable greater collaboration in the mining, agriculture, tourism, and construction sectors among others, through direct investment and technical assistance initiatives.
The Peruvian Vice Foreign Minister further noted Guyana’s leadership in the region as well as its commitment to advancing a number of issues of mutual interest both within the hemispheric fora including in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) and the Brasilia Consensus, as well as at the multilateral sphere including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), where Guyana is currently a non-permanent member.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Persaud took the opportunity to update the Peruvian Vice Foreign Minister on the current case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy.
The Spanish-speaking nation is laying claims to more than two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass, which is in Essequibo, and a portion of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in which almost 11 billion barrels of oil have been discovered over the past nine years and oil production activities are ongoing.
In 2018, Guyana moved to the World Court after exhausting all means of negotiation with Venezuela and the failed good offices process between the two South American neighbours. Guyana is seeking a final and binding ruling on the October 3, 1899 Arbitral Award to settle the long-standing border controversy.
Last month, the ICJ convened a meeting with representatives of both countries to determine the way forward since Venezuela had submitted its counter memorial back in April of this year.
At that meeting, it was agreed by both sides that a second round of written pleadings were necessary. Following disagreement between Guyana and Venezuelan on the timeline, the court indicated that it would issue an order setting timelines for both parties to make their submissions.
Nevertheless, with Guyana currently undergoing an unprecedented economic transformation, the Dr Irfaan Ali-led Administration has been working on positioning the country as a regional leader in a number of areas.
In fact, Guyana is already leading efforts within the Latin America and the Caribbean region to have security in the areas of energy, food and climate.

On the other hand, Guyana’s burgeoning oil and gas sector has made the country an attractive investment destination with interests coming from businesses across the world but in the regional as well.
As a matter of fact, an investment group from Peru was in Guyana in March 2023 and had met with local stakeholders including President Ali on the potential investment opportunities here.
During a meeting with the Guyanese Head of State at the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive in Georgetown, discussions between the visiting investors and the Government surrounded the advancement of a pilot project to use satellite and telecommunications to advance the education sector in the hinterland and the use of drone technology for the delivery of medication and other services to far-reaching areas.
Guyana and Peru established diplomatic relations on July 17, 1971. In November 2022, President Ali accredited Ambassador David Malaga as the Non-Resident Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Peru to Guyana. (G8)