Guyana/Canada relations to be enhanced - Canada’s Foreign Minister visits
Georgetown, GINA, August 13, 2012 -- Source - GINA
Canada’s Minister of State of Foreign Affairs, Ms Diane Ablonzcy today met with officials of the Government of Guyana with the aim of discussing issues aimed at enhancing bilateral interests, as well as those on the hemispheric and international agenda.
Minister Ablonzcy was welcomed to Guyana this morning as she met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett at the main conference room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“I am especially pleased to welcome you to Guyana…I’m pleased to see you have been able to visit a few areas …I extend an open invitation to you so that you can return and sometime in the future, visit other parts of Guyana - the interior parts, which I’m sure you are going to enjoy,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (black suit) and staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs including its Director General, Ms Elisabeth Harper at the meeting with Canadian Minister of State of Foreign Affairs Ms Diane Ablonzcy
She added that Guyana and Canada enjoy a very strong friendship, which sees collaboration at the regional and international levels. Additionally, the large Guyanese Diaspora in Canada certainly ensures that Guyana and Canada remain close, whilst High Commissioner David Devine has been active, looking at Canadian investments for Guyana and Guyanese investments in Canada.
“We have about $600M in terms of Canadian investment in Guyana…I’m sure that this figure will grow…about 95% of our exports to Canada is gold…we export some sea foods and some rum, but we would like to diversify our exports even more,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said.
She added that because of such trade ties that exist, the Trade and Development agreement between the two, which is currently being negotiated, is very important.
“l’m very pleased that we concluded the fourth round of negotiations in July and, hopefully we would be able to work out those unresolved issues to meet the deadline before the plan expires in December 2013…it’s very ambitious but, if we work very hard we can meet that deadline,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said.
Minister Ablonzcy said that she was pleased to visit Minister Rodrigues-Birkett in her homeland, after their last meeting in Bolivia.
Canada’s High Commission to Guyana Mr David Devine and Canada’s Minister of State of Foreign Affairs, Ms Diane Ablonzcy and other officials of the Canadian High Commission at the meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett
“I’m very pleased to be here with my High Commissioner David Devine, who has done a tremendous job as you say in strengthening the links that we have with each other…I’ve heard so much about your very beautiful country…I wish we had more time to explore a lot more of it, especially the Iwokrama Forest preserve…it just sounds beautiful,” Minister Ablonzcy said.
She added that she looks forward to talking with Minister Rodrigues-Birkett about Iwokrama and how both countries can work together on this unique part of Guyana.
The Canadian official believes that the relationship at the Government level and person to person ties that exist between the two countries, (more than 100,000 Guyanese reside in Canada), it is more important for both countries to work together and build partnership opportunities and to be good friends and share best practices.
“As your country develops its stunning natural resources and its wonderful human resources as well, I look forward to good discussions with you and your officials here and, we really thank you for your hospitality,” Minister Ablonzcy said.
The Guyana government has benefitted significantly from Canada’s lead agency for development assistance- the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
CIDA focuses on the priority areas where Canada has proven its leadership in areas as; increasing food security; securing the future of children and youth; and stimulating sustainable economic growth.
In 2011 the University of Guyana and CIDA signed a CAD$113,089 contract, to finalise an agreement for CIDA funding the project ‘Post Plantation Management of Acacia on Mined out sites at Mahdia’ in Region Eight, which is being executed by the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry.
This project which comes under the Guyana Environment Capacity Development (GENECAP) project will enhance government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy’s vision by reducing the impact of deforestation and forest degradation and help to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Other investments include the inking of a CAD$336,000 agreement between the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and CIDA to build the commission’s technical capacity for pre-concentration of gold ore and the introduction of cyanide leaching technology for improving levels of gold recovery in medium-scale mining.
Additionally, a three-year CIDA funded project concluded in March of this year, with the Ministry of Housing’s Central Housing and Planning Authority arm. This project saw several public sector professionals and community leaders being trained in capacity building programmes, after which community leaders received funding to execute a community project.