– Following Bilateral Meeting between Guyana and France
A Bilateral Meeting between the Republic of Guyana and the French Republic was held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, on May 13, 2010.  The Honourable Manniram Prashad, MP, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guyana and His Excellency Richard Barbeyron, Ambassador of France to Guyana and Suriname delivered remarks at the opening ceremony.

Her Excellency Mrs. Elisabeth Harper, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guyana and His Excellency Mr. Richard Barbeyron, French Ambassador to Suriname and Guyana co-chaired the Meeting.

The French delegation comprised high officials including the Prefect and the President of the Regional Council of the Department of French Guiana.  The lists of the members of the Delegations are attached as Annexes I and II.

The French delegation held extensive discussions with His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo, President of the Republic of Guyana.

The Two Sides viewed the bilateral meeting as a practical step towards the deepening of ties between Guyana and France and in particular closer links with French Guiana as part of the Guiana Shield.

They exchanged views on key issues of mutual interest on the international agenda including the global financial and economic crisis and climate change.

They discussed cooperation in several areas relating to security, the environment, agriculture, tourism, health and consular relations.  In this regard, it was agreed that a delegation from Guyana would visit French Guiana in the week of May 17, 2010 to engage in further discussions on matters pertaining to security, the environment and rice cultivation.

Both Sides agreed on closer collaboration between the private sectors of Guyana and French Guiana.  They welcomed the invitation extended for the private sector of Guyana to visit French Guiana in June this year.

The Guyana Side commended the French Government for its decision to strengthen the staff of its Embassy accredited to Guyana from Paramaribo with an official from the French Agency for Development and welcomed the renewed interest of France to extend the level of its bilateral development aid to Guyana.

The Guyana Side applauded the French Embassy in Paramaribo for spearheading the initiative to engage in formal bilateral talks.    In this regard, they agreed to the establishment of a formal mechanism for regular bilateral consultations between the two countries which would afford both sides the opportunity to conduct political dialogue on various issues and promote further cooperation towards achieving greater progress in their bilateral relations.

The French Side expressed its appreciation to the Government of Guyana for hosting the meeting and extended an invitation for the next meeting to be held in French Guiana before the end of 2010.