President David Granger on Friday evening said that the Government of Guyana stands in solidarity with the people and Government of Mexico as they grapple with the effects of the earthquake experienced on September 07, 2017.
According to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, the Head of State also noted that Guyana looks forward to strengthened ties and increased trade opportunities between the two countries, particularly in the exportation of rice and paddy.
The President was at the time delivering the feature address at a reception held at the Marriott Hotel Guyana to commemorate the 207th anniversary of the independence of Mexico. According to the release, the Head of State said that it is being proven that climate change is the major environmental threat of this era and one that affects the entire earth. He noted that it has spawned extreme weather patterns and rising sea levels, which continue to inflict severe damage on the economies of small-island developing and low-lying coastal states.
“The plight of these states is compounded by the death and destruction caused by other environmental hazards. Guyana takes the opportunity, in this regard, to iterate its expressions of sympathy to the Mexican government and people, on the death of persons and the damage and destruction of property experienced in the wake of the earthquake of 7th September 2017,” the President was quoted as saying in the government release.
President Granger said that the country remains committed to extending its collaboration with Mexico to include the preservation of biodiversity and the generation of renewable energy. He further noted that Guyana appreciates the cooperation that it has enjoyed with Mexico in agriculture, education, energy generation, geographical information systems, trade and in other fields.
“Your Excellency, I commend you, personally, for your inexhaustible and energetic efforts in advancing cooperation in these fields. Mexico, also, is becoming an emerging market for Guyana’s paddy and rice. We look forward to the expansion of trade in these and other products,” President Granger said.
Meanwhile, according to the release, Mexican Ambassador to Guyana, His Excellency, Ivan Roberto Sierra-Medel, said that significant progress has been made in three key areas of bilateral relations, which were highlighted by President Granger during last year’s Independence celebration: regional security, climate change and food security.
In the area of regional security, he noted that representatives from Guyana have since benefited from security-related training initiatives hosted in Mexico within the last year. In October 2015, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo visited Mexico to cement a dialogue with Mexican stakeholders.
“Thanks to the active engagement of a number of agencies, we are able to speak of specific results. Agricultural cooperation also includes the coconut sector, enhanced coconut seeds in Mexico have been planted in the Pomeroon and two Guyanese specialists have received scholarships for Masters of Science in Coconut Biology in Mexico. Bilateral collaboration in the energy sector shows remarkable progress. In March 2017, the Ministry of Natural Resources signed an agreement with Mexico’s Institute for Petroleum. In order to build knowledge resources in Guyana, Mexico just granted a two-year scholarship to a Guyanese specialist to pursue a Master of Science in Oil and Gas Engineering in Mexico,” the Ambassador was quoted as saying.
As Mexico celebrates its independence, the Ambassador said that it appreciates and respects its relationship with Guyana.
“Let us bear in mind that independence is the most cherished asset of a nation not because it justifies isolation but because it is the corner stone for friendship without conflict. For that reason, today is the best occasion to celebrate friendship and bilateral collaboration with the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.”
