– with launch of commemorative stamp

AS Guyana and Brazil continue to celebrate their 50th anniversary of bilateral relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday launched a commemorative stamp in honour of the milestone.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge called Brazil a “valued partner”, noting that Guyana has an unwavering commitment to working with Brazil.

“This launch is not merely to commemorate a stamp,” he said, “but to allow us to take a moment and reflect on the 50 years of very positive and productive relations between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Federative Republic of Brazil.”
The launch was chaired by Ambassador Ronald Austin, Director of the Foreign Service Institute, and was also attended by Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Brazil, Mr Paul Silos; Guyana’s Minister of Public Telecommunication, Ms Cathy Hughes; and U.S. Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Perry Holloway.

As Ambassador Silos observed during his address, the stamp, though small, carries with it a big significance.

“A stamp has its own powerful impact, as it is not restricted,” he said. “This stamp is an individual monument; an enduring testament to the constant evolution of Brazil and Guyana relationship to each other.”

A Brazilian version of the stamp is scheduled to be launched next Friday.
Minister Hughes, who said that stamps are “paper ambassadors and a fragment of history”, reminded her audience that this stamp was actually the third that honours relations between the two countries.

Back in 2003, she recalled, one was printed to commemorate 35 years of bilateral relations between the two countries, while another was printed in 2009 to celebrate the official commissioning of the Takutu Bridge which joins Guyana and Brazil.

Guyana and Brazil first began official ties on August 26 1968, when then Prime Minister, Ptolemy Reid visited Brazil.

“In the subsequent 50 years,” Minister Greenidge said, “the two countries have solidified relations through close collaboration over a vast number of areas. “Our bilateral relations have intensified through a series of high-level encounters followed by implementation.”