President Granger continues meeting with Diplomatic Community

MeetingGeorgetown: President David Granger continued his meetings with members of the Diplomatic Community, as he outlined his administration’s vision for continued bilateral relations.

 Meetings were held Friday with India’s High Commissioner to Guyana, His Excellency, Venkatachalam Mahalingam, and British High Commissioner to Guyana, His Excellency Greg Quinn, and Canadian High Commissioner, Her Excellency, Ms. Nicole Giles.

Country Representative to Guyana for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ms. Khadija Musa also paid a courtesy call on the president and held brief discussions.

In giving a synopsises of his meetings, the Head of State said they were all aimed at giving his government’s continued commitment to work in all areas of cooperation with the respective countries. According with President Granger his administration will be working closely on matters of national security with the British. Matters of governance will be high on the agenda with Canada and reform of the Guyana Elections Commission. At the forefront of the bilateral relation with Canada will be to implement systems that will ensure a more timely declaration of elections results. During his meeting with the Indian High Commissioner, President Granger said he made a commitment that all projects will proceed as initially planned and that the two countries will continue to forge relations in the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Meanwhile, Musa said that discussions were held on some of the UNDP’s initiatives that are ongoing, their progress, and achievement. Most importantly, Ms. Musa said the meeting clearly provided the UNDP with the new administration’s position on the ongoing work in this regard.

Further, both the Indian and British High Commissioners extended congratulatory messages to the new Head of State, as they went into their respective country’s ongoing bilateral areas of cooperation. 

High Commissioner Mahalingam said he was looking forward to strengthening areas of bilateral relations between Guyana and India.

Meanwhile His Excellency Quinn said areas of cooperation between Guyana and the British will include strengthening the parliamentary cooperation process, and security and trade.

 Already the president has held meetings with the CARICOM Secretary General Mr. Irwin LaRocque, Brazil’s Ambassador to Guyana, His Excellency, Mr. Lineu Pupo de Paula, and Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana Her Excellency Reina Margarita Arratia Diaz; the meetings were all held at the Office of the President.