– says energy sector is immediate priority
NEW Spanish Ambassador to Guyana Joaquin Maria de Aristequi has high hopes in developing Guyana’s energy sector through strengthened cooperation between Guyana and Spain.
Non-resident Ambassador Aristiqui yesterday presented his Letters of Credence to President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President in the presence of Minister of Labour Manzoor Nadir who is serving as Foreign Affairs Minister, and Director General in the Foreign Affairs Ministry Elisabeth Harper.
Speaking to the media, Ambassador Aristiqui said the energy sector is circuital to the future wellbeing and economic growth of Guyana. He made reference to REPSOL’s presence in Guyana as a good signal of economic opportunities.
REPSOL which holds the reputation as a leading international oil exploration company is one of four companies that began exploration work in the offshore Guyana Basin in 2008.
The basin holds the potential to produce 50 million barrels per year which would be equivalent to 140,000 barrels per day.
Spain’s presence in the eastern Caribbean was described by the Ambassador as late but with a permanent residency in the region he was confident of strengthened contacts in the future.
“We assumed that being absent for so many years has not helped. The Spanish visibility and profile has been the one that I believe we deserve as an important economy with a clear international profile in many areas plus a country that shares a language, Spanish, that is crucial to the future of the whole continent including Guyana,” Ambassador Aristequi said.
He also believes that the prospects for cooperation lie in the areas of agriculture, environment, infrastructure, trade and culture.
“I do expect that in the coming months and years we will enlarge the scope of our cooperation through business networking and also working together in the international fora not only through CARICOM or other American multilateral institutions but also the UN and in other meetings where Spain and Guyana can work together,” Ambassador Aristequi said.