Diplomats from Jamaica, Malaysia and the Holy See presented their Letters of Credence to President David Granger on Wednesday at the Ministry of Presidency, thereby accrediting them as High Commissioners and Apostolic nuncio to the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings and Director General Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Waddell were among officials present at the accreditation ceremonies.

During the first of the three accreditation ceremony, His Excellency Arthur Williams presented his Letters of Credence to President Granger, appointing him Non-Resident High Commissioner of Jamaica to Guyana.

President Granger, while alluding to the fact that Guyana and Jamaica established diplomatic relations on May 26, 1966, said the two countries have significantly strengthened their relationship over the past 53 years as member states of the Caribbean Community (GECOM).

“I expect that your accreditation today would act as a catalyst to renew our efforts at collaboration in the fields of food security, trade, investment and public security,” President Granger told High Commissioner Williams.

He noted that he had positive discussions with the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness in July 2018, on the margins of the 39th Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community held in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

“Guyana and Jamaica remain strongly committed to renewing the Bilateral Agreement on Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation and the reactivation of the Guyana-Jamaica Joint Commission,” he said. The Head of State also acknowledged that the two countries face similar challenges in addressing the adverse effects of climate change.

“Although we are not an island state, we are a low-lying coastland and we are moving towards the establishment of a ‘green state’. We will support initiatives that encourage the preservation of our biodiversity, the protection of our environment, the promotion of the generation of energy from renewable sources and the adoption of practical measures to ensure climate adaptation,” the President explained. Guyana, he said, remains committed to working with Jamaica to implement policies aimed at combatting crime and enhancing regional security.

High Commissioner Williams, in his remarks, acknowledged too that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Guyana and Jamaica, they have maintained strong relations at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels. “I wish to reiterate Jamaica’s commitment to the further deepening of the integration process and strengthening of the mutual beneficial partnership for the development of our countries and the region and for the betterment of the lives of our people,” he said. He posited that Jamaica, like Guyana, is on an upward economic trajectory.

In a separate accreditation ceremony, the Head of State received Letters of Credence from Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, appointing him Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Guyana.

“The Holy See has placed great attention to the urgency of mitigating the adverse effects of climate change and environmental degradation and encouraging efforts by global leaders in delivering Nationally Determined Contributions of the Paris Agreement. Guyana, in recognition of the global challenges to earth’s environment, is moving towards establishing a ‘Green State.’ Our ‘Green State’ will place emphasis on the protection of our environment, the preservation of our biodiversity, the promotion of the generation of energy from renewable sources and the adoption of practical measures to ensure climate adaptation,” President Granger said in his address. The Head of State said it is his expectation that their shared commitment to confronting the challenges of climate change will contribute to the strengthening of their bilateral relations.

Archbishop Nwachukwu, in his remarks, said Pope Francis is committed to making the world a better place. “The pope’s warm personality and approach have brought a freshness to the way in which the Holy See and the entire Catholic church carry out their mission, especially with regard to the defence of the dignity of the human person at every stage of human life, notwithstanding the persons, particular social, economic or other circumstances,” the Archbishop explained.

He added that Pope Francis has been persistent in his call to reach out to the more vulnerable members of the world. Archbishop Nwachukwu said Pope Francis has also challenged world leaders to do more to protect the world from avoidable disasters especially those caused by human actions which provoke consequences that translate into interpersonal and international conflicts, wars, migration flows and climatic changes.
Guyana established diplomatic relations with the Holy See 22 years ago on June 9, 1997. The two states share a deep commitment to the values of justice, the preservation of peace and the promotion of universal human rights. Relations between Guyana and the Holy See are founded on the principles of mutual non- interference in each other’s internal affairs, cooperation for mutual benefit, respect for treaties and international law and the maintenance of world peace and security.

Also presenting his Letters of Credence to President Granger was Datuk Lim Juay Jin, appointing him High Commissioner of Malaysia to Guyana. President Granger, in his address, said the two countries, though separated by over 17,000 km, are bound together through cooperation in the Commonwealth of Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the United Nations.

“Guyana and Malaysia have advanced cooperation in the field of rice production and development. A team from the Malaysian Agriculture Research & Development Institute (MARDI) visited Guyana in March 2019. The meeting with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) helped to update the implementation of a Reverse Linkage Project between Guyana and Malaysia to further improve rice industry,” President Granger detailed.

He noted too that both countries have long coastlines and are both vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Here in Guyana, he said the country is transitioning into a ‘green state’ which will see increased emphasis on the protection of our environment, the preservation of our biodiversity, the promotion of the generation of energy from renewable sources and the adoption of practical measures to ensure climate adaptation.

“Our shared commitment to addressing the challenges of climate change will be an impetus for the strengthening of the friendship between our two countries,” President Granger told the Malaysian High Commissioner, noting that Guyana looks forward to working closely with Malaysia at both the bilateral and multilateral levels to ensure international peace and security, and to encourage increased global efforts to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

Meanwhile, High Commissioner Datuk Lim Juay Jin said Malaysia is committed to the South-South cooperation, noting that the partnership which spans across various sectors, thereby contributing to each other’s development. He said Malaysia stands committed to offering its support as Guyana embarks on a new era of economic development. “Economic cooperation continues to be the core expectation of our relationship, as Guyana embarks on a more rapid and sustainable development progress, Malaysia stands greatly in offering the necessary expertise and sharing of best practices in this regard,” the High Commissioner said.

Guyana and Malaysia established diplomatic ties April 26, 1976. Their relationship is founded on the principles of mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, cooperation for mutual benefit, respect for treaties and international law and the maintenance of international peace and security.