–nation has built a vast network of reciprocal relationships that will bolster the national interest, President Ali says as country continues to grow

WITH significant progress made in fostering new and enhancing existing bilateral and multilateral relations around the world over the past four years, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said that his government has carefully reconstructed Guyana’s global image.
The Head of State made this disclosure while addressing a special sitting of the Twelfth Parliament on Thursday, when he noted that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration has paid substantial attention to the area of foreign relations since entering office.

He said: “Over the past four years, we have carefully reconstructed our global image, and the world is watching. The dreams of past generations for a better country and a better world have now arrived at our doorsteps.”
Against this backdrop, President Ali said that Guyana is charging full force ahead at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.

Within the past four years, Dr. Ali added, numerous memoranda of understanding have been signed that will bring greater benefits to Guyana and all citizens.
“We have signed agreements spanning financial, economic, industrial, technical and educational agreements with Kuwait, Qatar, France, Ghana, the Netherlands, the UAE, China, Morocco, India, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, and the United Kingdom,” The Head of State disclosed.

With this, he posited that Guyana’s arc of international engagements has widened, and as such the country is delighted to embrace new partners.
He added that the new campaign of diplomatic engagement also sees the country filling posts that have been left vacant in places like Brazil, Venezuela, Switzerland and Belgium.
Additionally, he said that the country has established a new mission in Qatar, while new missions to Guyana have been established by Belize, Dominican Republic, UAE, Qatar and France.

Further, President Ali indicated that over a short period, more than 25 global and regional leaders have been hosted, and these engagements and MoUs signed play a significant role in the government’s vision for 2030.
Meanwhile, in the realm of international security, Dr. Ali told the gathering that Guyana has been elected for a two-year term on the United Nations Security Council dealing with pressing matters of climate change and food security.

With this, he added that the country has deepened and broadened innovation, to the point where Guyanese are now being recognised among the top levels of global leaders in various areas.

Guyana has built a vast network of reciprocal relationships that will bolster the national interest, and also that of the Americas and beyond.
With this, he said Guyana has used its seat on the United Nations Security Council to call for good global governance and peace among nations, in keeping with a consistent and principled position which is in relation to the adherence to the international rule of law and the UN Charter.

Dr. Ali said Guyana has condemned senseless terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas, and equally condemned the destruction of Gaza where more than 40,000 persons have perished, and noted that there is no justification for taking innocent lives in pursuit of political ends.
He added that this, among other reasons, is why Guyana felt obligated to provide humanitarian support for the suffering people of Gaza.

LASTING PEACE
“I take this opportunity to call on all parties to the regional conflict to show restraint; to engage in dialogue and to work towards lasting peace in the Middle East,” he said.
In relation to the Russia-Ukraine war, Guyana has been clear that the rule of law must prevail, and the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine must be respected.

Further, in the Caribbean region, Guyana has played its role in the formation of Haiti’s presidential transitional council, and peace must come to Haiti, and the country will not be left behind.
As President Ali continued on, he indicated that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela continues to nourish the border controversy.

“We are a peaceful nation and a peaceful people. We are adamant that the UN Charter should undergird all practices of international diplomacy, and there is no substitute for international law. We have, therefore, time and again, reminded Venezuela of the sanctity of the 1899 Arbitral Award that settled the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela,” Dr. Ali Affirmed.

The Head of State indicated that Venezuela should know that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the rightful and final arbiter of the “ill-begotten controversy” that it has provoked.
Dr. Ali said Guyana’s foreign relations are built on a bedrock of powerful friends and formidable allies, and as such no one should misjudge Guyana’s resolve to defend its 83,000 square miles.