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The Brazilian team includes representatives of its energy, finance and investment sectors and Singh informed them that the mutual opportunities are well known to each side but, with the formal negotiations now under way, “we have before us an opportunity to accelerate the effort.”
Guyana’s Public Works Minister, Mr. Robeson Benn, who made remarks at the opening ceremony in the Guyana International Conference Centre, spoke to the investments available for both sides.
The meeting comes on the heels of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked by Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and her Brazilian counterpart, Mr. Antonio Patriota, paving the way for discussions on hydropower electricity generation and a deep-water harbour, among other undertakings.
Minister Benn said it is envisaged that energy security, as well as deepening the economic partnership with Guyana’s southern neighbour are on the agenda.
Bridging gaps
Minister Singh, giving some insight on the talks slated to conclude today, said:“We have an opportunity to be innovative in our approach to bridging gaps.”
Speaking about the Guyana experience, so far, he lauded the public/private partnership approach, being pursued in Guyana, to develop large programmes.
Singh drew reference to the Berbice River Bridge that is currently operated by a private company but was built through the public/private partnership model.
He also alluded to the flagship Amaila Falls hydroelectricity project and pointed out that the largest equity partner is foreign, namely the Blackstone Group, through Sithe Global.
Singh said this project is currently in an “advanced stage of achieving financial closure” with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), for the outstanding amounts required for its realisation.
“We intend to use this model in replication as we develop other projects,” he indicated.
The Finance Minister said, while there has been a general recognition of the potential that exists as a result of Guyana’s proximityto Brazil, for a long time, realising this was restricted by physical access.
He said, though, that the “impediment is being removed.”
Singh used the opportunity to also remind of the Takutu Bridge that was recently constructed for Guyana by Brazil, formally bridging the two countries and said it was a “very powerful statement made,” when the then Brazilian President, Luis Inacio Da Silva, attended the formal opening and commissioning.
Expanding on what he called a “high level of awareness of economic opportunities that exist in Guyana,” for particularly northern Brazil, the Finance Minister said “we are now at a time that the opportunity is ripe for harvesting.
“It behooves all of us to redouble our efforts to realise the potential spoken of for such a long time,” he urged.
Ambassador Soares, for his part, said his delegation would be at the disposal of the Guyanese negotiators.
“Any questions, any clarifications, you can be assured our delegation will be able to respond,” he said, identifying the various levels of representation from his country.
The Range
The diplomat posited that two days of bargaining will not be enough, given the range and complexity of the matters on the agenda.
According to him, the areas to be discussed “will take time to really examine in detail.”
A formal report with concrete proposals and deadlines for implementation, coming out of the talks, will be presented to the Presidents of Guyana and Brazil by June 30, but the Ambassador expressed hope that there would be more such meetings, prior to a formal report.
Mr. Sergio Pillon Guerra, the formal representative of the State of Roraima (Northern Brazil) at the meeting, told those gathered:“We are neighbours and we want joint development, one supporting the other.”
He said the Takutu Bridge venture “was a pioneering activity to realise a big dream of complete cooperation of North Brazil and Guyana.”
In future, the country envisages an economically and socially integrated Guyana and Brazil.
The Guyanese team is led by Executive Secretary of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Mr. Winston Brassington and includes officials of the Ministries of Public Works and Local Government and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) among others.
Yesterday’s session of talks saw the Brazilians being presented with an overview of the projects up for discussion, by Head of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), Mr. Mahender Sharma and Mr. Rabindranath Chandarpal.
The working group also heard presentations on Guyana’s environmental legislation and land ownership laws.
Sharma is expected to make another presentation today, to the working group, on Guyana’s ‘Long-Term Energy Plan’ while Brassington is to engage them on ‘Financing and Concessions.’
