— Chavez due here next month
GUYANA and Venezuela advanced talks on a proposed road link between the two countries, and firmed up cooperation to tackle illegal fishing during the official visit to Caracas by President Bharrat Jagdeo and a top-level delegation Wednesday.
The two countries reached trade and other agreements, and Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, due here next month, has also offered to supply Guyana with all the fuel it needs.
The Associated Press (AP) news agency reported yesterday that Chavez told President Jagdeo that Venezuela is willing to increase oil shipments of 5,000 barrels a day to 10,000 barrels , which would satisfy Guyana’s fuel needs.
Under its Petrocaribe programme, Venezuela provides regional allies with cheap oil in exchange for goods or services — not just cash.
“This makes us feel more committed to South American integration,” Chavez said Wednesday.
The two Presidents also signed an agreement for Guyana to provide more rice to Venezuela, and this country will be buying 100 tractors from Venezuela.
A source told the Guyana Chronicle that the two countries are also looking at agreeing on a protocol to deal with the longstanding problem of fishing vessels operating illegally in the territorial waters of the two countries.
This was President Jagdeo’s first official visit to Venezuela, and it has resulted in further concrete steps on cooperation between the two neighbours.
A joint statement by the two leaders said they expressed their determination to advance the necessary arrangements to execute the feasibility study, and the environmental impact study of the proposed Venezuela-Guyana road link from Georgetown to Tumeremo, “as a necessary undertaking for development and integration between both countries, in particular putting in place the process in the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the selection of consultants.”
In that context, they agreed to instruct the Guyana-Venezuela joint technical working group on the proposed Guyana/Venezuela road link to immediately commence discussions with the CDB, with a view to having that institution act as the conduit for the resources for the conduct of the pre- and feasibility studies on the proposed road link.
Both Heads of State emphasised that the pre- and feasibility studies were critical to considerations for the advancement of the proposal.
President Jagdeo expressed his appreciation of the timely decision of the Venezuelan government to purchase Guyanese rice, which has brought benefits to the small farmers of the rice industry, highlighting the values of fair trade.
A source said Venezuela has agreed to buy more rice and paddy from Guyana.
In the joint statement, the two Presidents said they were both satisfied with the effective functioning of the Petrocaribe scheme, and welcomed progress on the social project financed through the ALBA-CARIBE Fund to build a centre for the rehabilitation and reintegration of homeless persons in Guyana.
Among other highpoints of the visit is Venezuela and Guyana agreeing to restart talks on settling the longstanding controversy over Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region.
The joint statement by the two Presidents said they reaffirmed their confidence in the Good Offices process of the United Nations as a mechanism that would assist the parties to “advance towards a practical and satisfactory solution for the border controversy, without affecting good bilateral and regional relations.”
Both Presidents welcomed the appointment of, and expressed their confidence in, the work of Jamaican Professor, Norman Girvan as the Personal Representative of the UN Secretary-General responsible for the Good Offices process.
President Chávez announced the designation of Ambassador Roy Chaderton as the Facilitator for Venezuela, and President Jagdeo announced the designation of Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran as Guyana’s Facilitator.
“We’ve been able to place our relationship beyond the border problems to work in areas that are vital to the development of both countries,” Mr. Jagdeo said, speaking through an interpreter.
Chavez added: “We cannot allow the Essequibo disagreement to turn us into countries that turn their backs on each other.”
The two Presidents expressed their satisfaction over the current status of the relations between Guyana and Venezuela, which were founded on the principles of solidarity, cooperation and complementarities.
The joint statement said they discussed issues of mutual interest on the global and regional agenda, and reviewed the bilateral programme of cooperation.
They noted the progress of the project for the improvement of cold-storage facilities for non-traditional agricultural and dairy products, from which small Guyanese producers would benefit by having access to markets further afield.
The joint statement said Chavez informed his Guyanese counterpart of the recent approval of the necessary resources to update the hydrographical data of the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary Rivers in Guyana, needed to do dredging in cooperation with Venezuela.
They recognized the help that regional and sub-regional organisations can offer for the peaceful resolution of local controversies, and for preventive diplomacy.
“In this sense, they highlighted the value and importance of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) as a mechanism for consensus and an effective political space to solve the differences in South America, reinforcing their commitment for their development and consolidation. The Venezuelan President congratulated his Guyanese counterpart for the recent appointment of his country to assume the Pro Tempore Chairmanship of this regional organization, and confirmed his participation in the next summit to be held in Georgetown in August this year,” the statement said.
President Jagdeo announced his government’s willingness to buy 100 VENIRAN tractors, in a demonstration of the commitment to intensify the commercial links between both countries.
The two Presidents signed the following bilateral agreements, which would pave the way for enhanced cooperation between their two countries in different fields:
** Letter of Commitment between the Ministry of the People´s Power for Food of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana;
** Memorandum of Understanding between the People´s Ministry for Energy and Petroleum of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana for the supply of urea;
** Memorandum of Understanding between the People´s Ministry for Energy and Petroleum of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana for the Supply of Jet A I; and
** Memorandum of Understanding between the Governments of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana for the Creation of a Committee for the Prevention, Investigation and Settlement of Fishing Incidents.
The statement said they verified the good level at which relations are d
eveloping between the two countries, which consolidate and fortify on the basis of the principles of solidarity, cooperation and complementarities.
They also mandated their respective Foreign Ministries to work on convening the fifth high level bilateral commission meeting (COBAN) to be held in Caracas.
President Jagdeo expressed his sincere gratitude to President Chávez and the Venezuelan people, on his own behalf and on behalf of his delegation, for the kindness and hospitality received during his visit to Venezuela.
The Guyana delegation included Foreign Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett; Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee; Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud; and Director-General in the Foreign Ministry, Elisabeth Harper.