Guyana, St Kitts sign MOUs to boost security, agriculture, Govt reform

Guyana and St Kitts and Nevis on Wednesday signed three Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) aimed at strengthening cooperation in the areas of security, agriculture and food security, and Government modernisation.
The brief signing ceremony, held at the Office of the President, was attended by President Dr Irfaan Ali and the Prime Minister (PM) of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew, along with senior Government and military officials from both countries.

Also, among those present were Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd; Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha; Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation Minister Zulfiqar Ally; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Brigadier Omar Khan; and Acting Commander of the St Kitts and Nevis Defence Force Major Kayode Sutton, as well as members of the St Kitts and Nevis delegation.
The agreements are intended to deepen bilateral ties and promote collaboration for mutual benefit and the advancement of the wider Caribbean region.
President Ali and PM Drew signed both the agriculture and food security agreement and the Government modernisation agreement, while Brigadier Khan and Major Sutton signed the agreement on security cooperation on behalf of their respective countries.
The MOU on security cooperation establishes a framework for collaboration in non-lethal defence and security initiatives. In the area of agriculture and food security, the agreement seeks to strengthen cooperation through the development of strategic partnerships, enhancing capacity and promoting sustainable practices to benefit both nations and the Caribbean community.
Meanwhile, the MOU on Government modernisation focuses on improving governance systems, strengthening institutional capacity, and enhancing performance assessment across Government Ministries and agencies.
Delivering brief remarks following the signing, President Ali emphasised the importance of global collaboration, particularly in safeguarding biodiversity.
“Prime Minister, I am very pleased to present you with an alliance of countries around the world… we welcome you as a member of the Global Biodiversity Alliance,” President Ali said.
“You are now part of this massive undertaking in safeguarding biodiversity that is linked to the survival of our pharmaceutical industry, the survival of our cultural heritage, and of course, the survival of our planet.”
He noted that significant biodiversity loss over the past decades underscores the urgency of such partnerships.
“In the last 50 years, we have lost more than 60 per cent of our biodiversity. Today, you are part of this movement to protect and rebuild this great asset,” he added.
PM Drew reaffirmed his country’s commitment to sustainability and biodiversity protection, aligning it with St Kitts and Nevis’ national development agenda.
“For us, biodiversity is part of exactly what our national agenda is. We want to create a sustainable island state; biodiversity is a fundamental part of that,” he said. “So for us, it’s a natural pathway to ensure that we continue to discover pharmaceuticals.”
He also expressed appreciation for President Ali’s leadership.
“I want to thank the president for his tremendous leadership… and to let him know that he has my support for initiatives directly linked to our survival,” PM Drew stated.