Funds to be sought for infrastructure to link Guyana, Brazil -communique
Guyana and Brazil have agreed to collaborate in a number of areas and key among them is sourcing funds for infrastructural projects that will link the two countries, Georgetown and Brasilia yesterday announced.
“For Guyana and Brazil, there is an opportunity that is now, an opportunity that can highly integrate our economies and create enormous opportunities for the people of our two countries. We discussed not only the connectivity of infrastructure through roads, ports, air transport, but we discussed the connectivity of our people, the role of the private sector, the involvement of the private sector, and how we can get our private sectors, more integrated to look at the opportunities that exist in both Guyana and Brazil and look at ways in which we can bring them together, in making use of those opportunities,” President Irfaan Ali stated during a joint press conference held by the two leaders yesterday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in Liliendaal.
“In this regard, we have committed to putting together a government and private sector grouping that would go to Brazil in the second quarter of this year to showcase and to interact with the Brazilian government and private sector, on ways in which we can collaborate to maximize the benefits that are available in Guyana and Brazil,” he added.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that these measures pick up from plans set in motion when he was in power in 2010 and had continued under his party - Partido dos Trabalhadores - until 2016 when his successor, President Dilma Rousseff was impeached.
“My visit here is to reclaim a policy that we will move forward advancing in 2010 but was paralyzed after that,” he said.
Lula who was the Chief Guest at the Forty-Sixth Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), arrived here on Wednesday and departed yesterday for St Vincent and the Grenadines where the Community of Latin American and Caribbean (CELAC) states summit will be held.
According to Lula, the meeting here was of such importance to Brazil that he included in his delegation, his ministers of Planning and Budget; Transport; Integration and Regional Development; and Ports and Airports.
And with Brazil assuming the G20 presidency, Lula announced that he had invited this country to the next G20 meeting which will be held in Rio de Janeiro from July 12 to 14, where Vice President
Bharrat Jagdeo will be given the opportunity to “present the monetization model that they are undertaking here in terms of preserving Guyana’s forest.”
The G20 nations are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Georgetown and Brasilia later released a communiqué which outlined details of the visit.
It said: “The two leaders examined the relations between their two countries, reviewed progress in the implementation of previous undertakings and committed to further actions and practical measures to deepen and advance the bilateral cooperation and integration agenda. In this regard, they noted with appreciation the record of achievements already made such as the Takutu Bridge linking the two countries,” the communique stated.
The presidents recalled Lula’s visit to Guyana from February 14 to 15, 2005, during which the importance of the road connection between the two countries was particularly emphasised.
“The Presidents underscored the continued relevance of the establishment of the road link between Guyana and Brazil. The Presidents reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the full development of a partnership programme between Guyana and Brazil, aimed at enhancing the prosperity of the two countries and strengthening regional integration. They emphasized the need for greater impetus in the implementation of commitments by both sides to advance the bilateral cooperation and integration agenda, stressing the importance of effective monitoring and evaluation of agreed initiatives,” the document stated.
Designated
Vice President Jagdeo and Brazilian Vice President, Geraldo Alckmin, were designated as responsible for coordinating the implementation of the bilateral cooperation and integration agenda.
“The two sides will work towards organizing a mission from Guyana to Brazil, comprising officials of the government and the business sector, with the aim of expanding trade and investment between the two countries which will take place in the second quarter of 2024,” the statement informed.
The presidents also “agreed to undertake the following actions aimed at strengthening the bilateral cooperation between Guyana and Brazil: 1. Revival of the
established Ministerial Working Groups to further bilateral engagements between the two countries. 2. Greater collaboration in agriculture and food security, through sharing information and best practices, enhanced collaboration between their respective research institutions, and promoting investment,” the joint communique said.
“The full implementation of the Guyana-Brazil International Road Transport Agreement (IRTA). 4. Encouraging the restoration of air connectivity between the two countries. 5. Advancing the process of the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in November 2020 for the Technical Feasibility Studies for the installation of fiber optic link between Guyana and Brazil. 6. Expanding the provisions of the Partial Scope Agreement. 7. Working towards the full operationalization of the Agreement on Cooperation and Facilitation of Investment,” it added.
Strengthening the bilateral dialogue and collaboration on frontier, consular, and migration issues, was also another area of proposed action in addition to the convening of the Guyana/Brazil Mixed Border Commission with a view to continuing border demarcation activities between the two countries.
The two countries also underscored the fostering of consultations on peace and security, including through their permanent missions to the UN, as areas agreed to.
And with both presidents pointing out that food and energy security was integral to the development of any nation, the
two sides also agreed to explore a framework of engagement between Brazil and the Caribbean Community that seeks to contribute to enhancing food security in the region and advance the CARICOM AgriFood Systems Agenda, in line with the recently approved CELAC Plan for Food and Nutrition Security and Hunger Eradication 2030 (FSN CELAC Plan 2030).
“Promoting South American cooperation initiatives, under the leadership of different countries in the region, open to the participation of all, in the areas of health, family agriculture, environment, infrastructure, energy, digital transformation, defense and security,” the communique stated.
Championing global peace, Lula pointed out that war data shows that there is nothing beneficial to any of its participants as the loss of lives and other resources are burdensome to any state.
He noted that his endeavours are, “Not only to help Guyana in terms of development, but work intensively to keep South America as a peace some on planet earth.”
“We don’t need wars. Wars bring destruction, destroys lives and brings suffering. Peace brings prosperity, education, brings job creation and stability to the human being. This is the role Brazil intends to play… in the world,” he stressed.
According to the communique, “The two presidents underscored that international law, human rights, democracy, social justice, rule of law, and sustainable development are
paramount pillars for a peaceful and prosperous region.
“To this end, the two presidents reiterated their unwavering commitment to ensure that the Latin American and Caribbean region remains a Zone of Peace and cooperation.”
And like with CARICOM during the summit, the two presidents also discussed issues of regional and international concern including the situation in Haiti, Ukraine, and Gaza.
“Both Presidents expressed their deep concern over the dramatic humanitarian situation in Gaza and echoed their call for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of the peace process. They reaffirmed the urgent need for a two-state solution, with a viable State of Palestine living side by side with Israel in peace and security, within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders,” the document said.
Further, they reiterated “their unwavering support for Palestine’s full membership in the UN.”
Ali, according to the communiqué, expressed his appreciation to President Lula and the Government of Brazil for the consistent and principled support in favour of the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South American region in accordance with international law. “President Ali also thanked Brazil for the critical role of a facilitator which it is performing in the dialogue for peace and cooperation between Guyana and Venezuela, within the context of the Argyle Declaration.”