Georgetown : Ambassador of Belgium to Guyana Keonnard Lenaerts handed over his letters of Credence to President Donald Ramotar today with the assurance that the common values shared between the two countries at the social and political levels will serve as a catalyst for strengthened relations in various fields.
In the presence of Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Ambassador Keonnard Lenaerts spoke about the high value which the two countries attach to democracy and the rule of law, cultural diversity and promoting regional integration with the Caricom Secretariat seated in Guyana and the European Union (EU) headquartered in Belgium.
Belgium’s experience as a culturally diverse nation, closely associated with the French and Dutch, and Guyana’s ethnically diverse population and membership in South America and the Caribbean, are notable tenets of integration and coexistence that the two countries support.
His tenure in Guyana will give priority to an understanding of the transformation Guyana has experienced over the last decade and its efforts to create an encouraging business environment and economic growth.
He will also be taking stock of the issues of concern in the country that Belgium can play a role in addressing.
“There is definitely room to further develop economic and trade relations between our two countries,” Ambassador Lenaerts said, considering the country’s immense natural resource potential.
For President Ramotar, those areas include agriculture, science and technology, medicine, scholarships, renewable energy, petroleum and forestry.
The country’s role in the fight against climate change and the revolutionary Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) have also been acknowledged by the Belgium Government, Ambassador Lenaerts said.
Priority projects on the strategy include the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) that when completed will be the source of 90 percent of the country’s energy generation making it cheap and more reliable.
Renewable energy has been high on the agenda of dialogue at the level of the EU, and as an important member, Belgium is being seen by Guyana as an important advocate, President Ramotar said.
“Guyana also values you membership in the European Union which remains one of our most important partners in development,” President Ramotar said.
A graduate in philosophy, 53-year old Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador, joined the country’s Foreign Service in 1988.
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