FOREIGN Secretary Robert Persaud has met with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, Ambassador María Luisa Ramírez, to discuss areas of co-operation between the two countries as Guatemala gets ready to establish an embassy in Georgetown.

In the meeting, the Foreign Secretary referenced recent discussions between President Irfaan Ali and President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, on priority areas of co-operation between the two countries and restated Guyana’s commitment to such.

These areas include technical support for the sugar industry and collaboration on oil and gas, tourism, food security and climate change.

The Vice Minister reaffirmed Guatemala’s commitment to closer co-operation between Guyana and Guatemala, including widening and deepening trade. She also emphasized the importance of strong relations with the CARICOM region, given that Guyana is the seat of the CARICOM Headquarters.

Vice Minister Ramírez is visiting Guyana to engage in bilateral discussions and conduct preliminary work on establishing a Diplomatic Mission in Guyana, the first of such in CARICOM, which is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2023. Guyana and Guatemala enjoy 31 years of diplomatic relations.