Visit To India Has Been Extremely Fruitful And Rewarding: Carl Greenidge, Vice President And Foreign Affairs Minister Of Guyana
A high-level ministerial delegation from Guyana is in India, in a move anticipated to improve bilateral relations between the two countries. On 31st January, BW Businessworld hosted a roundtable discussion on India-Guyana Relationship in 2018 and the way forward. Taniya Tikoo, correspondent for foreign policy, diplomacy and international affairs at BW Businessworld, served as the moderator for the roundtable discussion.
“Guyana, a landlocked country in the Caribbean region of South America, shares a lot in common with India. From language to rituals, the two Nations share more than just their colonial past. The relationship between India and Guyana have been warm and cordial since inception”, said Tikoo, beginning the roundtable.
Carl B. Greenidge, Second Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana said, “We have had so far, a fruitful relationship with India over the years. There are many Indians in Guyana and as a result there are a lot of cultural spill-overs. We also have a common heritage. We also share institutional mechanisms from the colonial times. We have worked closely in political and ideological issues. This visit is significant as we are moving to a new phase, beyond the cultural past, for economic co-operation. We are working on enhancing trade and investment. Energy is another place where we are working closely together with India. We are working on developing our resources and capacity. Our countries have also made public commitments to clean energy.” He also added, “Other sectors have not been ignored, there is an agreement on cultural cooperation. We weren’t restricted with respect to the areas to address. We could cooperate on education and health among other things. There have discussions on investments and infrastructure as well. Guyana was not a tourist destination till this millennium, as previously had little interest or the capacity. We have to develop our infrastructure to accommodate tourism. We are also looking at restructuring the sugar industry with the help of Indians”. “I think the visit so far has been extremely fruitful and rewarding, and we have had constructive reactions from the government and private sector”, added Greenidge.
“There is great enthusiasm from both sides of the ocean for petroleum and natural gas. There are cases for collaboration for exploration to marketing. There is also a possibility of Indian companies engaging with us for petroleum and natural gas. We are in process of reconstructing, rationalizing the sugar industry. We are looking at ways India can help in the provision of knowledge and expertise with respect to the sugar industry“, said Raphael Trotman, Minister of Natural Resources of Guyana. “On a personal level, the visit has been amazing, and on a technical level, we have had a good meeting with the Indian government. I go back with great expectations for the way forward.”
Ambassador Andrey Jardine Waddell, Director General of Foreign Affairs of Guyana said, “It is a continuation of a process which had commenced a long time ago, with the establishing of diplomatic ties with India. We also want to inform the Indian community, about the continuation of our diplomatic relations. We have talked extensively on increasing tourism and increasing investment. Our main focus is on eco-tourism, and we have tried to generate interest for increasing Indian investment. We are hoping to encourage Indian tourists with respect to festivals as well”. “I was pleasantly surprised with the eagerness of Indian officials to pursue relations with Guyana, and I am going home with a lot of expectations of the way forward”, added Waddell.
“There is a large scope for collaboration in cultural aspects. 2018 will mark the 180th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Guyana. Bollywood films are also extremely popular in Guyana, and we are primarily a film consumer. There will possibly be exploration with respect to collaboration in the film industry, and to increase tourism. We also have had discussions on how to incentivise the private sector for Indio-Guyanese relations. I look forward to the implementation of the many things we have had agreements. I am extremely impressed with the dynamism of the Indian community“, said Troy Torrington, Director Multilateral & Global Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, Guyana.
Dr. Mahendar Sharma, CEO, Guyana Energy Authority, Government of Guyana, said, “The discussions were cordial and friendly with the Indian delegation, in the development of the petroleum sector. There has been collaborations with respect to culture and film production. We need to create more attention, and of course, there has been interest with oil and gas, but the three MoUs we signed with the Indian government have instituted collaboration in different frameworks, like renewable energy and cultural exchange”. “I am impressed with the rate of infrastructure development, and there have been encouraging discussions with respect to energy as well”, added Sharma.
“We also have a National Data Management Authority where many students are taking an interest with respect to Information Communication and Technology. We haven’t done any training yet, but that is soon to happen. There has been good progress with respect to the ICT Centre of Excellence. I am cautious of the fact that there with so many expectations, there will challenges. There is a certain engine of enthusiasm and expectations from both side“, said David Pollard, High Commissioner, Guyana.
Forbes July, Deputy High Commissioner, Guyana, said, “The expectations have gone way beyond what was expected. I am extremely happy that the delegation has been receiving and responding. We are particularly delighted to have two of our policy-makers here, who will for sure return and be a part of the whole process that the outcome and the implementation of what has been discussed and agreed to come to fruition”.
“There have been a lot of commonalities between India and Guyana, and it will interesting to see how diplomatic ties between the two countries go forward from here. India and Guyana may be miles apart, but there is a strong connection and bond between the countries with respect to culture”, said Tikoo, closing the highly engaging roundtable discussion.
