Guyana to strengthen bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia

– after 1-day visit by that country’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs

With the intention of further strengthening ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Saturday hosted a working lunch for Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Saudi Arabia Council of Ministers, Adel Ahmed al-Jubeir, at State House.
The visiting Minister led a delegation which included Counsellor in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norah Mohammed Al Bassam; First Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Badr Abdullah Al Muaiqil; Secondary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Naif Abdulaziz Alnuwaiser and three others.
At the working lunch, President Ali was accompanied by Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh and Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd.
The Arab officials were in Barbados meeting with officials on Friday before flying to Guyana on Saturday.
Upon their arrival around noon, the Arab delegation was welcomed by Minister Todd and other officials from the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry.
The President’s office did not provide much information to the media with respect to discussions held between the two sides on Saturday.

However, over the last eighteen months, Guyana and Saudi Arabia have intensified their collaboration and continue to enjoy cordial and mutually beneficial relations.
The Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry had said on Friday that this visit of the Arab Minister will, therefore, “serve as an impetus for the further enhancement of relations between the two countries.”
Only Tuesday, President Ali held a meeting with another visiting team from Saudi Arabia at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown, following the opening day of the inaugural International Energy Conference and Expo Guyana, which was held in Georgetown last week.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, had joined the meeting virtually.
The visiting delegation, which was here for the Energy Conference, was led by the Arab nation’s Governor of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Adeeb Al Aama.
Guyana has been on the radar of Middle Eastern states in recent years as a result of its blooming oil and gas industry.

In fact, Saudi Arabian company, Aramco Trading Limited, last year was awarded a one-year contract to lift Guyana’s share of oil from the Stabroek Block after coming out with the best responsive bid during evaluation.
The 12-month deal to market Guyana’s oil runs from September 2021 to August, 2022. Additionally, the company was also awarded a single-lift for last September to avoid the country having to forfeit its one million barrels of crude.
Meanwhile, that same month, the Guyanese Head of State had met with His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. During that engagement, the two countries discussed partnership and collaboration in oil and gas as well as issues relating to COP26 and the development of a nuanced approach to a decarbonised world.
Moreover, Guyana last year applied to the Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) seeking financial support for the Hinterland Electrification Programme, and intends to use some of the proceeds to fund the construction and rehabilitation of two small, hydropower plants at Lethem, Region Nine.
These are a 1.5 Megawatt (MW) plant at Kumu and a 0.7 MW plant at Moco Moco.
The IsDB is one of Guyana’s newest development partners; Guyana joined in 2016. Its goodwill was demonstrated when the bank offered Guyana a US$900 million package for mainly infrastructural development works in the period 2018-2020.
President Ali had met virtually with IsDB President, Dr Bandar Hajjar last June during which they discussed plans for rebuilding in the aftermath of the countrywide floods.
Guyana established formal diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on February 22, 2012.