South American nations recommit to strengthened ties with Guyana

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday facilitated discussions with several diplomats from South American nations, to renew commitments for areas that will provide mutual benefits.

The Governments of Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru, member countries of the Forum for the Progress and Integration of South America (PROSUR) and Bolivia as Observer, congratulated President Ali on his appointment as Guyana’s ninth Head of State.
President Ali would have met with Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana, Maria Clara Duclos Carisio; Chilean Ambassador, Patricio Becker, and Argentine Ambassador to Guyana at the Office of the President, Felipe Alejandro Gardella. All counterparts expressed approval in working with the new Government to advance mutual interests.
In their discussions, the Ambassadors appreciated the work carried out by the Electoral Observation Mission of the Caribbean Community and the support of the Organisation of American States.
“We salute the people, political forces and institutions of Guyana for their commitment to democracy and with respect for the popular will expressed at the ballot box on March 2. We vote to continue to strengthen our ties with Guyana and contribute to the development and well-being of its people,” a communique from PROSUR stated.
In less than one week after his appointment, the President has exercised a proactive approach in reaching and engaging stakeholders from the wider cross-section and in a number of sectors.
On Tuesday, he met with members of the Private Sector for a thorough discussion about reopening the economy and the fight against COVID-19. The meetings were held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre and attended by representatives of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) among other members of civil society.
In an interview with this publication, PSC Executive Ramesh Dookhoo explained that during the meeting, they shared ideas with the new Government on combating COVID-19. He explained that they also advocated for better coordination between the various Government agencies. According to Dookhoo, there should be a broad multi-stakeholder effort against COVID with a new task force that will include civil society in decision-making – not the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) formulated task force.
Meanwhile, also attending the meeting was Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Nicholas Boyer, who lauded the more consultative approach of the new President. He also revealed that coming out of the meeting, they were tasked with compiling info to combat the social and economic effects of COVID in Guyana.
“It’s nice to see the President, even on his first day on the job, is worried about the pandemic affecting Guyana and obviously has reached out to the various agencies as well as the business community to see how we can collaborate to bring a more effective response to the virus as well as reopen certain parts of the economy.”
PROSUR was an initiative proposed by the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, together with his Colombian counterpart, Iván Duque, for the creation of an integration body to replace the left-wing Union of South American Nations.
The first PROSUR Summit, called the “Meeting of Presidents of South America”, took place on March 22, 2019, in Chile between Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay and Peru. The eight countries had signed the Declaration of Santiago for the renewal and strengthening of South America. (G12)