By Vishani Ragobeer in Suriname
Vishani@newsroom.gy
An investment team of almost 50 representatives from Saudi Arabia, including both government officials and private sector players, will discuss several opportunities during a visit to Guyana on July 8 and 9.
This is according to President Dr. Irfaan Ali who said that the visit is part of deepening relations between Guyana and the middle eastern country.
“… they will be engaging the government and the private sector to see where they can come in as partners, and on opportunities for investment and financing,” President Ali told the News Room at the sidelines of the ongoing CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Suriname.
On Sunday, the Guyanese Head of State held bilateral discussions with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Member of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir.
The discussions focused on a number of areas of cooperation including energy, logistics, food security, climate and regional development.
And the President said that Sunday’s discussions builds on the relations already established with Saudi Arabia. The two countries have already inked an air services pact, and they have been discussing economic relations.
President Ali also told the News Room that the two countries are exploring what greater role Saudi Arabia can play in the development of the wider Caribbean region.
The middle eastern country is among the top oil producers in the world.
The Saudi Arabian visit comes as the oil-rich nations in CARICOM – Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago – are leading the creation of a new energy strategy.
Though Saudi Arabia will not be part of the creation of that strategy, President Ali explained that the middle eastern country remains an “important actor globally” that the region must engage as it pursues energy security efforts.
