PRESIDENT, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali recently hosted a state visit by Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro. President Ali and his team of senior officials which included Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d), Mark Phillips; Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and several ministers of government discussed a number of issues which will serve to further deepen relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Guyana, as the only English-speaking country in mainland South America, presents a number of unique and distinct advantages, both from the strategic and trade perspectives. Because of its location, the country is regarded as the gateway to the entire Latin American region and for that matter, the western hemisphere as a whole.

Having regard to the above, it is only natural that the two countries would seek to consolidate and further strengthen relations for the mutual benefit of the two nations. Indeed, Guyana and Brazil have had a long and productive relationship even before diplomatic relations were established on August 26, 1968, a mere two years after Guyana attained political independence. Since then, several cooperation agreements were signed between the two countries in a variety of areas including trade, commerce, agriculture and health, among others.

With Guyana now catapulted to the ranks of an oil-producing nation, the potential for the two countries to advance that relationship to a new and strategic level has never been greater. As noted by President Ali, this recent visit has resulted in the development of an ‘actionable framework’ in several new areas including energy, energy security, a deep-water harbour, infrastructure, agriculture, national security and defence.

At the infrastructural level, the Takutu Bridge linking Lethem to Bonfim has already resulted in a big boost to trade and commerce between the two countries, which will be further enhanced with the construction of a paved road linking Linden to Lethem and ultimately Georgetown to the city of Boa Vista, which is the capital of the Brazilian State of Roraima.  The proposed railway link between Linden and Lethem will impact positively on business and commerce through reduced transportation costs and better logistical support.

The dynamics of a more resilient and robust economy has never been more evident, especially in the context of the transformational infrastructural developments that are currently underway. Among these are the deep-water port; the road link; fibre-optic connectivity; the development of an energy corridor; the creation of a free zone and the linkage of natural resource development to this project.

These are not stand-alone projects, but are all integrated within a much broader and holistic development framework. As noted by President Ali, “We are not talking about the deep-water port in isolation of these things; it is now one integrated project that we are looking at, and we have agreed to establish a team that will comprise of [sic] investors, the Federal Government of Brazil, the Government of Guyana and the State of Roraima.”

Guyana stands to benefit enormously from its economic and trade ties with Brazil, which has one of the strongest economies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is the largest in the hemisphere both in terms of population size and geography. With a population of 212 million and a global economic powerhouse, Guyana could benefit enormously in terms of market access and technology transfer.

Guyana with its vast and fertile agricultural lands could provide for a significant amount of the food needs of that country and both countries have agreed to expand and diversify trade in agriculture, which has always been a centrepiece of trading relations between the two countries, ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1968.

That relationship was further enhanced in 2001 with the signing of the Partial Scope Agreement in 2001, which in effect was aimed at fostering bilateral trade flows by the exchange of tariff preferences, trade cooperation and increased private-sector participation.

Brazil and Guyana have always enjoyed mutually beneficial relations based on a high level of cordiality. Indeed, Guyana’s security interests have been enhanced through the provision of military assistance in the form of warfare training and logistics. Culturally, the two countries have developed over the years strong ties, with an increasing number of Brazilians living in the country and working in several areas, including trade, commerce and mining.

The visit by the Brazilian President to Guyana has served to cement those relations which have been forged over the decades.

Both President Ali and his Brazilian counterpart have underscored the importance of economic cooperation way beyond oil and gas. According to President Ali, Guyana wants to have a strong strategic partnership with its Portuguese-speaking neighbour, a sentiment also shared by his Brazilian counterpart.