Pres Ali talks investments, food & energy security with DR President ahead of EU-CELAC Summit

President Dr Irfaan Ali, who is presently in Brussels, Belgium, for the European Union-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States’ (EU-CELAC) Summit, on Sunday used the occasion to hold talks with his Dominican Republic counterpart, President Luis Abinader.

In a release from the President, it was explained that President Ali and President Abinader spoke about agriculture, food, and energy security while meeting on the margins of the EU-CELAC Summit.
Additional discussions were also held on potential areas for investment that will benefit Guyana’s private sector. These discussions follow the talks that the two presidents had during Abinader’s visit to Guyana last month, where he was accompanied by a delegation comprising both Government and private sector officials.
During his one-day visit, it had been revealed that the Dominican Republic is exploring the possibility of partnerships, specifically collaborating with Guyana for the establishment of a crude oil refinery here.
Following brief bilateral talks between the two Presidents at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Greater Georgetown, senior Ministers from the two regional nations signed three pacts to strengthen collaborations, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in energy-related matters.

MoU
This MoU sought to establish a framework to facilitate and enhance bilateral cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector of the two countries based on equality and mutual benefit. It will include the promotion of investments in each other’s countries, as well as technology transfer, research and development, the building of human resources, and collaboration in the natural gas sector.
The MoU signed by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and Dominican Republic Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez also creates the opportunity for support towards financing and construction of a refinery in Guyana.
It was announced that a joint working group will be set up within the next three months to discuss the various arrangements for cooperation in the energy sector and to also oversee the implementation of initiatives agreed to by the two sides. Prior to the signing of the agreement, President Abinader remarked that the Dominican Republic is eager to partner with Guyana in the energy sector.
“Guyana will be the energy partner of the Dominican Republic and will be a destination for all the produce [from Guyana’s oil and gas sector] …In this MoU, we will also look at exploration and exportation of gas, oil and also, if possible, because it will have to be discussed between our countries and private sectors… a refinery – a joint venture here in Guyana,” the Dominican Republic leader had stated.

EU-CELAC
Meanwhile, the EU-CELAC Summit will last from July 17-18. The opening session will be held today, with EU leaders and leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean in attendance and expected to participate in a range of activities including bilateral meetings and a plenary session. The summit will be co-chaired by President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves.
It is expected that during the summit, PM Gonsalves will push for both regions to increase their levels of collaboration. During an interview with the state-run National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) prior to his departure for Brussel, he had made it clear that the two regions are unequally yoked.
“Europe remade Latin America and the Caribbean and, in the process, remade itself. What they did in remaking our hemisphere, they have not quite yet understood how they remade themselves and that has to be part of their own consciousness. Historically we have been unequally yoked but we must not continue unequally yoked,” Gonsalves was quoted saying.
President Ali has been vocal at the level of CELAC, in calling for a revamp of the current framework to achieve food security and nutrition, urging a re-engineering of current policies. As recently as last month, the President addressed a CELAC high-level Ministers of Agriculture meeting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), calling for an action plan to come out of this engagement.
Between 2019 and 2021, the number of hungry people increased by 13.2 million in the Region. Severe food insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean was higher than the global average. The Region also had the highest cost attached for a healthy diet.
Fearing it will disrupt their business arrangements, Ali pointed out that distributors are also finding it easier to import ‘all junk from outside’ into the Region.
“So, we have a supply problem. We have an eating problem. We have a system problem but now we have an economic problem. Because the model we’re using to feed the people in our Region has resulted in the highest cost for a healthy diet. Something is wrong.”
“The existing framework is not working! Whatever we’re doing in this moment has given the people of our Region the highest cost for a healthy diet,” President Ali had highlighted.
Ali told regional leaders that producing more food and integrating food security objectives while reducing poverty and inequality, remains the key to ensuring food and nutrition security in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“How do we treat investment within the CELAC family? How do we get a common policy decision that we may remove corporate tax from any investment in agriculture within the CELAC Region? What are the types of policies you will recommend at the end of this conference that are so comprehensive that we must think of adopting them throughout the Region? What is the signal we want to send to our development partners?” Ali had also questioned.
Through the 25 by 2025 plan, Caricom has seen a turnaround with significant interest and investment in food production. For the first time in decades, there has been a major shift in action at the policy level, which has attracted attention globally and created a space for dialogue. (G-3)