Guyana will not be distracted from its CARICOM commitment by UNASUR
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| Published on Friday, June 6, 2008 |
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By Kevin Lindon
Caribbean Net News Guyana Correspondent
Email: kevin@caribbeannetnews.com
GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Guyana late last month signed the treaty of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) during the South American Conference in Brazil’s capital Brasilia, at which Guyana’s president Bharrat Jagdeo was present.
Responding to the question whether UNASUR will lead to Guyana placing less emphasis and participation in CARICOM activities, the Guyanese leader said the South American movement will not affect Guyana’s role in CARICOM but will foster cooperation with the region and Latin American countries.
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| Guyana President Bharrat Jagdeo. AFP PHOTO |
The UNASUR alliance, he said, is designed to strengthen political dialogue between member states and aid continental integration, and this will in no way dilute Guyana’s focus on CARICOM and its activities.
The head of state said he made this comment in light of articles that suggest Guyana’s participation in the Latin American movement may shift the attention and interest in CARICOM.
“We think that it will help to expand the boundaries and opportunities for CARICOM and in fact we insisted that in the language of the treaty that it provides space for other CARICOM countries should they wish to later accede to this partnership that is called UNASUR, so our Caribbean interest is safeguarded in these documents that we signed on to,” the Guyanese leader explained.
The president also highlighted that, regardless of what bilateral or multilateral partnerships Guyana entered into, its commitment and Caribbean interest are always safeguarded in documents that it may sign.
He noted that UNASUR can present significant benefits to Guyana and the rest of the CARICOM region.
“Latin America presents a whole range of opportunities, new opportunities for the people of our region and it is up to us now in this region to make sure that the vision includes Latin America and not just countries to the north,” Jagdeo urged.
UNASUR has finding solutions to the food crisis, along with boosting financial independence for the region, as priorities.
The bloc is structured to have a general secretariat, headquarters in Quito, Ecuador, with the rotating presidency beginning with Chile’s president Michelle Bachelet. | | | | Reads : 286 | | | |
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