HIS Excellency Nicolas Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, will today commence his first state visit to Guyana, even as the two countries have, for several years, maintained a longstanding, fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship.

While the two countries have not always had “friendly relations”, with a border dispute that dates back more than a century ago, they have nevertheless managed to find common ground, and have been working together on a number of developmental projects.
Friendly relations between the two South American countries have been especially fostered by the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who died last March after serving Venezuela as its president since 1999.
In a message of condolence to Venezuela following the passing of President Chavez, President Donald Ramotar said the late President Chavez was a great friend of Guyana. He noted that during his tenure as President of Venezuela, President Chavez sought to promote harmony and solidarity between the two nations, and the peoples of Guyana and Venezuela have benefited greatly from an enhanced programme of bilateral co-operation as a result of the continental and internationalist approach to development employed by President Hugo Chavez.
“Our current warm and friendly relations are a testimony to (President Chavez’s) efforts and commitment. We will value always his sincerity and friendship,” President Ramotar said.
While many had questioned the sustainability of the good relations between the two countries following the death of President Chavez, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, in her presentation during the national budget debates in April of this year, had assured that relations between the two countries would continue to flourish under the watch of President Maduro. She had also noted that Guyana is willing to work with any government in Venezuela to advance the interests of the two peoples.
During his swearing-in ceremony, President Maduro had hailed President Ramotar as “an extraordinary man of the Caribbean.” He had stated that President Ramotar comes from a country with which others wanted to establish a feeling of hatred between the peoples of Venezuela and Guyana, but that the late President Chavez had completely changed the foreign policy of Venezuela, which now resolves outstanding issues based on brotherhood, and not hatred and war.

THE PETROCARIBE DEAL
Among the most notable of collaborations between Guyana and Venezuela is the PetroCaribe agreement, which allows Guyana, along with 17 other Caribbean, Central and Latin American countries, to purchase oil by paying only a percentage of the money upfront. The remaining percentage is paid over time under a special financing agreement.
PetroCaribe, as an energy cooperation agreement and a regional integration initiative, was introduced by the late President Chavez in 2005. Dubbed a “strategic shield”, it has been described as the only true alternative for developing countries, including Guyana, to get secure and reliable access to energy sources.
At the Ninth Ministerial Council of PetroCaribe and the Eighth Summit of PetroCaribe Heads of State, held from May 4 to 5 this year and attended by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Geoffrey Da Silva; Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Energy Agency, Mahender Sharma; and Protocol Officer, Roopchand Bissessar, President Maduro had reaffirmed Venezuela’s commitment to the PetroCaribe Initiative.
During that meeting, the Heads of State signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Venezuelan Government for Joint Assessment of Establishment of the PetroCaribe Economic Zone, which would allow the commencement of technical studies and discussions related to the effective accomplishment of this initiative. A PetroCaribe Cooperation Agreement on Fertiliser Supply was also signed.
The Government of Guyana has constantly expressed appreciation of the PetroCaribe Initiative, which has made a significant impact on the country’s development.

THE GUYANA-VENEZUELA RICE DEAL
Under the PetroCaribe Agreement, Guyana and Venezuela have a special arrangement through which Guyana supplies its Spanish-speaking neighbour with ‘white rice’ and paddy in exchange for oil.
Government had, in March of this year, presented to the public, through the National Assembly, details of the more-than US$100M agreement it has entered into with Venezuela under the oil-for-rice pact. The agreement, presented to the House by Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, had documented the cancellation of Guyana’s oil debt to Venezuela in exchange for white rice and paddy shipments.
Venezuela, the largest importer of Guyana’s rice, has imported from Guyana white rice and paddy at preferential prices since the beginning of an arrangement in 2009.
On May 3, Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Venezuela’s Minister of Food, Felix Osorio, signed a Letter of Commitment which would see Venezuela importing 110,000 tonnes of white rice and 81,000 tonnes of paddy from Guyana throughout the course of this year.
This arrangement between the two countries has grown and improved over the years of its existence, beginning with the importation of approximately 20,000 tonnes of rice.
Minister Ramsammy has described the arrangement as “more than a rice deal”, but rather a “friendship between our sisters and brothers in the two countries”.
Moreover, Guyana is also now procuring fertiliser from Venezuela at a price that is significantly less than what obtains in other countries.
In a visit to Venezuela last month, Minister Ramsammy concluded arrangements for the procurement of fertiliser in the form of urea. The first shipment of 5,000 tonnes of urea is expected to leave Venezuela for Guyana by the end of this month.
Local farmers will benefit from this initiative, since they will be able to access fertiliser at a price that is approximately 20 percent cheaper that is currently available to them.
The Hugo Chavez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration, a facility for homeless persons extensively funded by the Government of Venezuela, was commissioned on August 10 at Onverwagt, West Coast Berbice, and has been named in honour of the late Venezuelan leader, President Hugo Chavez.
The facility was commissioned by President Ramotar, who had said the occasion signified another dimension of Guyana/Venezuela relationship. He said the facility would be a living memory of the late President Hugo Chavez.
President Ramotar had also commended his Venezuelan counterpart, His Excellency Nicolas Maduro, for pursuing the legacy of the late President Chavez, which he said would benefit the Caribbean and Latin America.
The Government of Guyana had sought the assistance of the Government of Venezuela, which was at the time being led by the late President Hugo Chavez, to procure the resources to execute the project; and the Venezuelan Government willingly made available US$2M for the project.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Jennifer Webster, described the move by then Venezuelan President Chavez as a demonstration of his love for humanity, which expressed itself in providing hope for the disadvantaged and homeless people within the society.

CHAVEZ CENTRE
Construction of the Hugo Chavez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration started in January of 2010. The facility would accommodate one hundred and eighty persons of both sexes, and also has land which would be used for agricultural purposes.
President Maduro’s first state visit to Guyana as President of the Bolivarian Republic comes at a time when relations between the two South American countries are at their strongest. As former Venezuelan Vice President under President Chavez’s fourteen-year-rule, His Excellency Nicholas Maduro visited Guyana on several occasions, and often led the welcoming party when Government officials from Guyana visited that country.
Following his arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport this morning, President Maduro will meet his counterpart, President Donald Ramotar, at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown for a bilateral meeting.
Government officials from the two countries are also scheduled to meet at the same venue for separate bilateral talks.
The parties will then proceed to State House for lunch, prior to a press briefing. The state visit will conclude with a social event at the GICC that will see participation of the wider civil society.