By Ariana Gordon

GUYANA’S newly appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Brazil, George Talbot, has welcomed his appointment, noting that it represents “a new arena of challenge.” Talbot served as the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations for a number of years, and was subsequently appointed ambassador to Brazil by President David Granger in March. He will take up his new post later this year. Speaking with reporters in New York on Wednesday, Talbot said his new role as ambassador to Brazil is somewhat different from his previous one at the United Nations.
“The UN is more multilateral; Brazil is more bilateral,” he said. “And there is also the community in Brazil, which is the second largest diplomatic community…140 missions based there.”
He welcomes this new appointment and looks forward to strengthening ties with Guyana’s neighbour to the South. He said there are many regional entities, such as the Amazonian Treaty Organisation, while there is the opportunity for establishing better relationships with ambassadors representing other regional entities such as the Union of South American States (UNASUR).
“So, I think it would be a pretty active assignment,” the Ambassador told reporters.
STRENGTHENING THE RELATIONSHIP
Brazil, Ambassador Talbot said, is one country with which Guyana has no border-related issues, pointing out that it is “an important partner.” Being the biggest country in the hemisphere and an important partner for the entire South America, Ambassador Talbot said he intends to strengthen Guyana’s relationship with the Portuguese-speaking country.
“We have excellent relations and our hope would be to strengthen those relations to our mutual benefit,” he added, while stressing that his number one priority is “to strengthen the relationship.”
Asked whether he foresees or is concerned about possible challenges given the current internal political issues facing Brazil, the Ambassador said, “Well I will find out. I am not able to say how challenging it would be at this time. I think we all witnessed what is happening and we hope for the best for Brazil and its people and for the government.”
The diplomat, who serves as the Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations with the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, is also Guyana’s non-resident Ambassador to the State of Israel and non-resident High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia.
He has extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and has represented Guyana at the United Nations and in other international fora on economic, social, political and related issues.
In the past, Ambassador Talbot had held several posts on United Nations bodies, including Chairman of the Economic and Financial Committee of the UN General Assembly at its 67th session (September 2012 – September 2013). Other posts include Vice-President of the UNICEF Executive Board; Vice-President, High-Level Committee on Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (now High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation); Vice-Chairman, United Nations Forum on Forests; Vice-Chairman, Commission on Sustainable Development; and Vice-President of the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board. Most recently, he served as a co-facilitator of preparations for the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda in July 2015.
Ambassador Talbot began his public service career in Guyana 25 years ago at the Department of International Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Finance. He served from October 1991 to June 1992, as Associate Lecturer, Spanish (part-time) at the University of Guyana. The Ambassador joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993.
He also worked in the private sector for five years and holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University and a B.A. in Modern Languages (Spanish/French) from the University of Guyana. He is fluent in English and Spanish, and conversant with French and Portuguese.