THE Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Guyana, Honourable Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and  the Brazilian Minister of External Relations, His Excellency Antonio Patriota, yesterday, signed a  Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a Working Group on Infrastructure, which will be  considering the Linden-Lethem Road, a port and hydro-electric projects.

The MoU was signed in Brasilia at the Ministry of External Relations. The Working Group is expected to submit its Report by the first quarter of 2013, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said “the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is the result of the quiet work we have been doing in the last couple of years and is no doubt another step forward as Guyana and Brazil continue to work towards infrastructural integration, which will see both countries benefitting from increased trade and people to people contact.”
The Guyanese foreign minister noted that this is also part of the wider South American integration process.
Speaking of the Linden-Lethem Road, Minister Rodrigues-Birkett  noted that for many years Guyana and Brazil  have been discussing physical integration and the completion of the Takutu River Bridge is a direct result of these discussions.
“However, to fully realize the trade potential it is imperative that the road be upgraded,” she declared, adding that the road will benefit both countries as the northern part of Brazil in particular will have a shorter access route to the Atlantic Ocean.
“I am confident that the gestation period will be much shorter than that of the Takutu Bridge,” Minister Rodrigues-Birkett said.
She said, too, that studies are being conducted on the construction of a second hydro-electric plant which could see Guyana supplying energy to Brazil in the future should the project prove feasible.