AMBASSADOR John Deep Ford was last month accredited as Guyana’s Ambassador to the Republic of Finland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Monday.

In a statement to the media, the Ministry said Ambassador Ford on Wednesday, April 24, 2018, presented his Letters of Credence to His Excellency President Sauli Niinistö of the Republic of Finland, after which he was accredited as Guyana’s Ambassador to Finland.
Ambassador Ford is concurrently accredited to Switzerland and was recently appointed chair of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agriculture talks. Since September 2016, he has served as Guyana’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, the WTO, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In 2017, Ambassador Ford served as chair of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group at the WTO. The Ambassador has more than 30 years of experience, working both domestically and internationally as an economist in agricultural trade and food policy, the Foreign Affairs Ministry stated.

Between 2000 and 2016, he worked at the FAO, the last four years as Regional Director for the Caribbean. Guyana and Finland often cooperate through CARICOM and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

“The appointment of H.E. Ambassador John Deep Ford will further strengthen existing relations between the two countries and provide a platform to pursue additional areas for collaboration in agriculture, education, maritime security, regional investment and trade, among others,” the statement said.

Guyana and Finland established diplomatic relations on April 2, 1979. Relations between the two countries are cordial.