– no meeting between Granger and Maduro

By Edward Layne

Commentators’ hopes for a meeting between President David Granger and his Venezuelan counterpart, NicolÁs Maduro

President David Granger with His Highness, King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Fourth Summit of the Arab and South American Countries (ASPA)

to further discuss a resolution to the ongoing border controversy between the two South American nations on the sidelines of the Fourth Summit of the Arab and South American Countries (ASPA) did not materialise, as the two leaders made their presentations to the Summit, but did not hold any bilateral talks. Expectations were high that President Granger and his team would have used the opportunity to initiate discussions on renegotiating a deal which saw Venezuela, up to earlier this year, buying Guyana’s rice and paddy at premium prices. Both Granger and Maduro addressed the Summit on Wednesday. In his address to the Summit which was aimed at boosting trade, cultural exchange and economic partnerships, President Granger called for the peaceful settlement of disputes and spoke of the importance of cooperation between Arab and South American countries. He also urged the leaders who were present, to work steadfastly on the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which were agreed in September at the UN General Assembly. “We support the thrust of the Arab and South American partnership, which was initiated by former President of Brazil, Lula Da Silva 12 years ago. We feel that it is a very useful forum for building international cooperation,” President Granger said. On the sidelines of the Summit, the President and his delegation held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani. Among its main objectives, the OIC aims to promote respect for the right of self-determination and non-interference in nations’ domestic affairs and respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of each of its member states while developing science and technology and encouraging research and cooperation among its members. Guyana is currently working to join the membership of the Islamic Development Bank.

Bilateral meetings The President expressed Guyana’s support for the call for Palestinian sovereignty and statehood as well as the urgent need for an end to the Syrian crisis, which has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. President Granger informed that from the South American side the main issue that was raised was that of Argentina’s claim on Falkland Islands and said that Guyana reserved its old position in this regard. Maduro, on the other hand, used the summit to call for the establishment of a “formula” to set a “fair price” for hydrocarbons. “We have great expectations. We are optimistic that in the short term, we will move forward towards a new formula allowing to create stability and fair price policies (for hydrocarbons) in the world,” Maduro said during his address at the Summit, which ended on Wednesday in the capital of Saudi Arabia. “We are the ones who invest and produce the oil of this planet. The others cannot set their movements and prices on us,” Maduro stressed. Like President Granger, Maduro held bilateral meetings on the margins of the Summit. Guyana’s delegation, which was led by the President, included Foreign Affairs Minister  Carl Greenidge; Foreign Affairs Ministry Director General, Ambassador Audrey Waddell; Kadim Khan from the Private Sector, and Guyana’s representative to the United Nations, Troy Torrington. According to the Ministry of the Presidency, Guyana’s delegation was flown to the Summit courtesy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A number of world leaders attended the Summit, but the expenses paid courtesy was not extended to them. The Summit was preceded by the Fourth Businessmen Forum of the Arab-South American Countries on Sunday. ASPA, which began in 2006, comprises the 22 members of the Arab League and the 12 members of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). While the Riyadh Summit looks at means to bolster trade and cooperation, it also has a political component – such as jointly pushing for UN Security Council reform to expand the number of its permanent members. Brazil, a UNASUR member, has for years sought a permanent seat on the Security Council. When the Summit first began in 2006, trade between the two groups stood at US$6 billion. In the eight years since, this has surged to US$30 billion. Venezuela will host the next ASPA summit in 2018.