— as Guyana robustly defends territorial integrity against Venezuela

DESPITE the many challenges in resolving the border controversy with Venezuela, Guyana will allow diplomacy to prevail, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge told the National Assembly on Thursday as he stood to debate the 2017 National Budget.
He said the Foreign Affairs Ministry has sought simultaneously to maintain a robust programme in defence of Guyana’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity, and to promote Guyana’s developmental agenda internationally.

“Members will not be surprised that one of the ministry’s first and most important pre-occupation over the last 12 months has been our relations with [The] Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. It has been a year in which we have been actively engaged with the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in his very personal endeavours to find a way forward in our controversy with Venezuela,” the Foreign Affairs Minister told the House.
“The way forward,” is the title given by the outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki moon, for the menu of proposals he had made for the resolution of the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela.

Minister Greenidge told the House that while Guyana continues to cooperate with the Secretary-General, Venezuela continues to pose a challenge.
“Guyana cooperated fully with the secretary-general and made every effort to bring his proposals to fruition Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, Venezuela did not do likewise and in the end I dare say frustrated the secretary-general’s best efforts. “The way forward proposals envisaged a conclusion at the end of the year…”

In the developments surrounding the border controversy, the Government had ensured that the representatives of the Opposition and representatives of civil society were apprised and consulted in the preparation and pursuit of the country’s case with the UN. Similarly, he said, when the decision is made by the UN, both parties will be briefed on the decision.
Nevertheless, he said notwithstanding the limited finances and human resources available to the ministry, it has successfully maintained a high level of success, especially in terms of garnering support for Guyana’s position on the matter of the controversy, Minister Greenidge said.

“We have also coordinated Guyana’s response to the development and challenges globally and regionally, and continue to seek support for the promotion of a better life for all Guyanese,” he added.
It was explained that this level of success was achieved through a structural realignment of the organisational structure of the ministry, which placed great emphasis on areas central to the promotion of the ministry’s economic diplomacy programme and the safeguarding of the country’s national interest.

“I would like to say that the purpose of the realignment was not only to ensure value for money in the deployment of human resources, but to enhance the realisation of the ministry’s strategic objectives,” Minister Greenidge noted.
In 2015, the ministry started the process of recruiting ambassadors, and while that process has since been completed, there has been increased emphasis on economic diplomacy and the need for the acceleration of trade and investment during its training programmes.
But training in the area of economic diplomacy must be fast tracked, he said.