PRESIDENT, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali is currently in Brazil where he will meet with other leaders of the South American continent, including host country’s President Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva. The President is being accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd.

The summit is aimed at deepening bilateral and multilateral relations with countries of the South American continent. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America and, therefore, holds strategic value as a gateway to the Caribbean and North America.

The engagement by President with his South American counterparts comes at a time when Guyana is poised to become a significant player on the international stage by virtue of its huge carbon resources and rich agricultural lands. This unique position of Guyana is of strategic value, especially from the standpoint of energy and food security, not only in the Caribbean Community, but also in the hemisphere as a whole.

Guyana shares much in common with its South American neighbours. The country forms an integral part of the Amazon rainforest, described as the lungs of the earth. It also shares strong cultural ties with these countries as a result of shared European colonisation spanning several decades. All of the countries are now free sovereign states pursuing their own paths of economic development.

During an address at the 15th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) President Ali urged greater South-South Cooperation as a way out of the hindrances of multilateralism, which he said must be identified and fixed. He was of the view that developing countries needed to come together with common objectives and goals in order to address issues of underdevelopment, such as poverty and inequality.

The meeting of South American leaders in Brazil is another manifestation of greater South-South Cooperation. The President is expected to have bilateral discussions with President ‘Lula’da Silva on a number of areas such as energy and food security, telecommunications, infrastructure and trade.

Guyana and Brazil have a long history of friendship and cooperation spanning a period of over 50 years when diplomatic relations were established in 1968. As the largest economy in South America and among the largest in the world, Brazil has much to offer in terms of trade and commerce, especially in the context of the country’s growing oil-and-gas resources. As pointed out by President Ali, due to their geographical locations, the two countries ‘must make strong statements in linking their territories.’

Cooperation with Brazil, however, has gone beyond oil and gas. In fact, Brazil has already recognised the potential of Guyana’s agricultural sector and has already indicated an interest in partnering with Guyanese in the area of cattle rearing in the Rupununi Savannahs.

Discussions are already underway for the establishment of an energy corridor in collaboration with Brazil, Suriname and possibly French Guyana, which could see the energy resources satisfying domestic and regional needs.
The scope for further economic cooperation with Brazil and other nations of South America is enormous. President Ali will no doubt seek to further promote the interests of Guyana to a wider hemispheric community at the Brazil Summit of South American Leaders.