– high on agenda of Guyana, T&T high-level meeting

TRINIDAD and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley will be accompanied by five of his ministers when he arrives in Guyana this week for bilateral talks with President David Granger.

The high-level team from the twin-island republic is scheduled to arrive in Guyana on Wednesday for a two-day working visit.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Saturday, President Granger and Prime Minister Rowley will discuss a wide range of matters of interest to both states, including energy-sector cooperation, agriculture and security. Their meeting will be followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on energy-sector cooperation between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. “The non-binding MoU will outline a number of sector-specific areas of possible cooperation between the two countries and will be publicised when it has been signed,” the ministry explained.

It was noted that the working visit is part of ongoing efforts to foster greater dialogue aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two CARICOM member states.
In response to a public request by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GGCI), President Granger said his government has no problem making public, the MoU that will be signed with Trinidad and Tobago.

“It is not a secret document, it is just an agreement to cooperate,” the President told reporters at State House last week, while noting the document has been vetted by the Department of Energy headed by Dr Mark Bynoe and the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Days after issuing a call for the government not to sign the MoU with Trinidad until it vets the content, the GCCI, in a press statement, said it remains supportive of foreign investors in Guyana.

“The GCCI believes that foreign investors have played, and continue to play, an integral role in driving economic growth and national development. In an era of global business, the benefits of international cooperation in key areas of private sector development are undeniable. Technology transfer, skills development, international markets for goods and services are a few areas where readily, the engagement of foreign investors and companies can bode well for private-sector development,” the GCCI said.

Noting that it is supportive of partnerships with Guyana’s Caribbean counterparts in the spirit of regionalism, the GCCI said it endorses collaboration with Trinidad and Tobago in the oil and gas sector.