Guyana's delegation in Qatar for Arab-South American Summit
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| Published on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | Email To Friend Print Version
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By R S Chickrie
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait: The Guyanese delegation arrived in Doha on Monday for the 2nd Arab-South American Summit without President Bharrat Jagdeo, who returned to Guyana after receiving news of the death of former Guyanese President, Janet Jagan on Saturday. Jagdeo received the news while in Jordan on a two-week tour of the Middle East. He was scheduled to arrive in Qatar on Monday.
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| Guyana's Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkettarrives in Doha |
The delegation, now headed by Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, is looking to foster closer ties with the region and to pursue President Jagdeo’s “economic diplomacy” with Arab nations. Guyana is now looking to Brazil, China, India and the Middle East for investment.
According to the Guyanese president, “The purpose of the trip is not just to pursue national interests, since it would be a good source of investment, but it is really to pursue better relationships.”
Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Dr Odeen Ishmael said, “Qatar is also moving into the South American region to explore trading opportunities.“
Dr Odeen added, “Guyana can take advantage of this: Qatar can be a useful market for Guyana´s hardwood furniture and semi-precious stones which are in great demand in the Arab world for the production of jewelry products.”
Oil and gas rich Qatar is of vital importance to the Caribbean and, according to Ambassador Odeen, “their expertise can be utilized in the exploration for oil and gas in Guyana.”
Qatar is one of the largest producers of natural gas in the world and has not been affected by the global recession. Its downtown financial and commercial centre is quickly rising along the seafront in a very tasteful way. Doha is a clean city with many fine museums, parks and beaches. The leader of Qatar emphasizes sports, education and science and is at the forefront brokering dialogue among adversaries in the region.
Despite its tiny size, Qatar has recently reinvented itself as a regional power broker, outdoing regional heavyweights like Egypt and Saudi Arabia in a highly factionalized Middle East. Doha is neutral in the Arab-Iranian feud and invited Iran to the last Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, which irked some Arab leaders.
Qatar is also home of Al Jazeera, the Arabic and English news channel that has changed the Middle East and an alternative to CNN and the BBC. Guyana can use Al Jazeera, which is expanding its services to South America, to advertise itself in the international marketplace. Recently, Al-Jazeera has covered important news stories in both Guyana and Suriname.
Recognizing the global economic and political power of Qatar, Jagdeo is keen to visit Qatar.
Commenting on Guyana-Qatari relations, Dr Ishmael says, “Guyana has in the past received support from Qatar at the level of the UN and OIC re: the New Global Human Order (NGHO). Qatar and the other Arab states have also expressed strong support for Guyana´s territorial integrity at Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) forums.”
These talks are built on past efforts by Guyana to cement ties economic and cultural ties with Doha. In 2000 former Minister of Foreign Affairs Clement Rohee headed Guyana’s delegation to the OIC Heads of Government summit in Doha. Ambassador Ishmael was also a member of the delegation.
Meetings were held with many Arab Foreign Ministers and a lengthy meeting took place with the former President of Palestine, Yasir Arafat. A presidential letter followed this from the Guyanese head of state on June 27, 2007 to Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani. A planned visit to Qatar in January 2009 by President Jagdeo was cancelled because of the recent invasion of the Gaza strip.
Guyana, a former British colony and South America’s only English speaking country has a vibrant Muslim community of about 12 percent. It is also a member of the OIC and has forged strong ties with the Middle East since its independence from Britain in 1966. Guyana’s relationship with the Middle East has been established outside of the rubric of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Strong ties with the Arab world are motivated by Guyana’s own national interest. After Guyana gained independence in 1966, Libya, Egypt and Iraq opened embassies in Georgetown. No other CARICOM state could claim the same. Guyana’s diplomats, Dr. Rudy Insanally and Dr Odeen Ishmael, who were posted at the UN and the OIC, actively worked to consolidate ties with the Middle East.
In the 1990s Guyana established diplomatic ties with all Gulf countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was also under their leadership at the UN and at the OIC that Guyana’s ties with the Arab-Islamic world blossomed. Many members of CARICOM look to Guyana to provide the necessary leadership in fostering its Middle East relations with an eye to obtaining benefits for the region.
Guyana is using its historical ties with the Middle East to foster closer cooperation with CARICOM and the Arab League. Very little is known about CARICOM in the region as President Jagdeo discovered during his recent visits to Syria and Jordan.
Guyana and Suriname, with sizeable Muslim communities, have historical ties to the Arab-Islamic world since the 1700s when West African slaves brought Islam to their shores. This relationship has been sustained and enriched by the Muslim communities in both parts of the world.
Guyana and Suriname are both members of the OIC, and Islamic Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO). Suriname, on the other hand, is a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).
The problem with both countries is the lack of rigorous diplomacy and a presence in the Middle East to tap potential investments and capital. Guyana and Suriname lack a Middle East Desk in their respective foreign ministries and do not actively participate at the OIC, ISESCO and the IsDB.
However, Guyana’s president recently indicated that this will change. Guyana is looking to bolster ties with the Middle East and to establish a diplomatic presence in the region. | | | | Reads : 913 | | | |
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