GUYANA and Ecuador relations were taken a step further with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that would establish a mechanism for regular political consultations between the two countries.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Integration of the Republic of Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño, during his official visit to the country yesterday, affixed their respective signatures on behalf of their governments.
During his visit, Minister Patiño and Minister Rodrigues-Birkett engaged in discussions aimed at enhancing relations between the two countries.
Speaking to the media at a press conference at the Takuba Lodge, South Road and Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, in Georgetown, just before the inking of the agreement, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett noted that this is not Minister Patiño’s first visit to this country.
“We are meeting at the bilateral level looking at ways how we can strengthen our relations with Ecuador”.
She said Guyana sits on the continent of South America; but for historical reasons, ties with the Caribbean have been much stronger than it is with South America.
“However, that is changing now. We see our position in South America, in UNASUR (Union of South American Nations), as complementary to our membership in CARICOM (Caribbean Community) and so what we have been trying to do is to improve ties and to strengthen our relations with countries of South America,” she stated.
Touching on some of the discussions, she said, “We have agreed that we will sign an agreement for political consultations, and this is very important for our two countries”.
Additionally, she said Ecuador has tremendous experience in terms of dealing with persons with disabilities, and they discussed how Guyana can learn from Ecuador experiences in this regard, bearing in mind that the Persons with Disabilities Act was passed here in parliament.
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said her ministry will be following up with the National Commission on Disability about this.
Central to any integration process, she insisted, is the ability for people to move and to interact, noting that Ecuador has put in a place a measure where Guyanese can travel there without requiring a visa for up to three months.
“Guyana is now reciprocating and we would be putting in the same measure here so that citizens from Ecuador wanting to travel to Guyana would not have to acquire a visa for up to 90 days stay in Guyana,” she announced.
“These are all measures to bring our people closer together; we live on the same continent, we speak different languages but I think that on both sides there is a yearning for us to come closer together, and this is one measure that would certainly take away at least one barrier to travel as we do not have an embassy in Ecuador in any case to issue visas,” she stated.
She said they also discussed regional issues, including Paraguay, stating, “You know our position in UNASUR, that we have suspended Paraguay from that organisation”.
“We think that democracy is very, very important, and any action or any measure that would threaten that process, including what we believe is a breach of natural justice, we must come out and speak about that and take the necessary measures and that’s what we have done,” she pointed out.
Ecuador’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Patiño, speaking through a interpreter, said that he has extended an invitation from his President Rafael Correa to Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar to visit their country, along with his delegation.
Ecuador is a country that within the last five years has accomplished an economic growth and development in social policies, he posited.
He said they would like to share their expertise and social and economical policies with the Guyana Government, which he thinks the country can profit from, and similarly, they can get to know the experiences that have also been successful in Guyana.
Patiño said they are now looking at widening economic bilateral relations, and he believes that the two countries can work in cooperation; as such, he has discussed the possibility of signing a commercial agreement for development between Guyana and Ecuador.
Minister Patiño also paid a courtesy call on President Ramotar and met with Secretary-General of CARICOM Ambassador Irwin LaRocque. His visit to Guyana coincided with his visit to three other Caribbean Countries (Cuba, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago) aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Ecuador and the Caribbean in the spheres of trade, tourism, education, and cultural cooperation. The team also included Ecuador Minister of Tourism Freddy Ehlers and a delegation comprising officials from various government agencies of the Republic of Ecuador.