The Government of Guyana and Belize this evening signed a MoU to enhance cooperation between the two countries in the presence of President Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister John Briceño.
See joint communique below:
At the invitation of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, Honourable John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize, paid an official visit to Guyana from July 5 to 8, 2022.
The delegation included Honourable Eamon Courtenay,Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, Mrs Rosanna Briceño, Special Envoy for the Development of Families and Children, and Mrs Gale Miller-Garnett, Honorary Consul of Belize in Guyana.
In addition to President Ali, Prime Minister Briceño and his delegation also held discussions with Honourable Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, Vice President, Honourable Hugh Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Honourable Oneidge Walrond, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and other Ministers in the Guyana Cabinet.
Discussions were held on regional and international challenges including the protracted effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of the on-going economic recovery, climate change, and existing geopolitical tensions.
The Leaders engaged in substantive discussions on agriculture and food security, in the context of Guyana and Belizebeing mainland countries in the Caribbean Community.
Both Heads agreed to the importance of strengthening agriculture and food security to mitigate the growing food crisis and provide lasting solutions to the challenge of food and nutrition security in their countries and the wider Community.
In that context, they exchanged views on practical ways to advance the regional objective of decreasing the food import bill by 25 percent by the year 2025.
Prime Minister Briceño and President Ali agreed on the urgency and value of deepening bilateral ties within CARICOM.
During the visit the Leaders:
1. Signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)between the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Government of Belize designed toenhance cooperation between the two countries.
2. Instructed officials in the respective Ministries tooperationalize the MoU as soon as possible and to prepare a joint work programme consistent with the objectives of the MoU.
3. Held discussions on climate change and plans for cooperation in this very important area. They agreed to have their respective experts meet as a matter of urgency to agree common approaches.
4. Committed to collaborate and share experiences and expertise in designing policies to promote economic, social and cultural advancement of their indigenous peoples. They noted that as proposed by President Ali when he was in Belize in March 2022, a Belizean delegation led by the Hon. Oscar Requeña, Minister of Labour, Local Government and Rural Developmentwill visit Guyana from 8th to 13th July 2022 to observe how Guyana addresses issues relating to its indigenous people.
5. Agreed that Belize and Guyana would share best practices and expertise in tourism as Guyana moves to further develop its tourism industry.
Both Leaders reaffirmed their firm reciprocal support for the efforts towards the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their countries.
The Belize delegation, along with a delegation from Guyana, also visited Boa Vista, the capital of the State of Roraima, Brazil. There the delegations were hosted by His Excellency Antonio Denarium, the Governor of the State of Roraima. Discussions were held with the Governor and members of the business community on potential exports of agricultural products from Roraima into CARICOM and beyond.
Prime Minister Briceño thanked the Government and people of Guyana for their warmth, hospitality, and the attention given to him and his delegation during his official visit.
July 8, 2022
