MINISTER of State Joseph Harmon, revealed yesterday in his weekly press conference that Guyana is now purchasing fuel from the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, and that Guyana deems prices for the commodity there favourable.He noted that in the wake of ongoing uncertainty about Guyana receiving fuel supplies from Venezuela, which has adopted an increasingly aggressive posture towards Guyana in relation to its claim of ownership of the Essequibo region, “Guyana has had issues with the untimely delivery of fuel under the PetroCaribe arrangement.

“A few weeks ago the vessels that had gone to Venezuela to collect fuel had issues with the provision of fuel in a timely manner, and this type of arrangement was not the best; and we had to ensure that we have an alternative arrangement put in place to ensure that we did not have a shortage of fuel in Guyana,” he declared.

He continued: “In that regard, we made arrangements with Trinidad & Tobago to purchase fuel from them, which is a standby arrangement. Then there is the PetroCaribe which is by contract. We, as a Government, will do what is necessary in the public interest to ensure that the wheels of industry continue to turn. The financial arrangements are no less favourable than that which we received under the PetroCaribe arrangement.”

Venezuela is currently claiming one-third of Guyana’s territory, and deterioration in the relationship between the two countries continues to such an extent that, several weeks ago, a Guyanese vessel was turned away when it went to uplift fuel from Venezuela. Moreover, the Spanish-speaking nation allegedly did not accept Guyana’s rice, which is a component of the PetroCaribe arrangement.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said, “We have not bought fuel from them [Venezuela] in the last two months.” He said, however, that that does not mean the PetroCaribe deal is out the window.

During a recent visit to Trinidad, President Granger had discussions with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in relation to the supply of fuel to Guyana and partnership in Guyana’s impending fuel industry, since Guyana is now poised to become a major fuel producer in the Caribbean, alongside T&T.

Oil imports account for the biggest chunk of Guyana’s foreign-exchange spending.

The 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the international community have been involved in quelling the spat between Guyana and Venezuela. (Rabindra Rooplall)