WITH a strong commitment towards strengthening border security, as neighbours with a common frontier, military officers of Guyana and Brazil have commenced discussions at the 24th Regional Meeting of Military Exchange.

The two-day forum commenced on Wednesday in the conference room of the Regional Democratic Council in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

The meeting, according to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), proposes to examine a number of issues including cross-border criminal activities, cattle rustling and illegal mining.

The meeting is held annually and the host country is rotated each time. The important exchange was not held last year due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, as the world pushes ahead in an effort to return to some level of normalcy, the military officials of both countries agreed that in 2021, it was time to persevere and proceed with hosting the exchange activity this year.

Brigadier General Adriano Fructuoso Da Costa, Commander of the 1st Jungle Infantry Brigade, is leading the Brazilian delegation while Commandant of the Guyana People’s Militia, Colonel Trevor Bowman is heading the local delegation.

In 2019, the 23rd edition of the exchange was held in Boa Vista from August 13-14. At that time, discussions between the two military bodies focused on issues relating to intelligence and co-operation with a view to enabling a bilateral approach to finding and implementing solutions that are pertinent to the safety and security of both countries.

The exchange is just a component of the fruitful diplomatic relations between Guyana and Brazil, which date back to 1968 when the establishment of an Embassy of the Republic of Brazil in Georgetown was announced.

Over the ensuing decades, the relationship between the two nations were strengthened significantly and resulted in the GDF benefiting from training and logistics support from the Brazilian military.

In 2018, the military collaboration even resulted in nine wells being drilled to increase water supply, and by extension, improve the lives of residents of South Rupununi.