Chile: el país abrirá una embajada en Guyana
Chile to open embassy in Guyana, signaling stronger ties
Chile, South America’s most prosperous economy, will soon open an embassy in Guyana, home to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, according to Chilean ambassador, Fernando Schmidt Aritia, who on Wednesday presented his accreditation credentials to President Donald Ramotar in Georgetown.
In a public statement, foreign minister of Guyana, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett said, «After a few years of robust cooperation, today Ambassador Fernando Aritia announced that Chile will establish an embassy in Guyana. This signals the importance that Chile attaches to the relations with Guyana and also with CARICOM, whose headquarters is located in Georgetown.»
In March of last year, Chile bestowed upon Rodrigues-Birkett the “Order of Bernardo O’Higgins” award in the rank of “Grand Cross” in recognition of «the valuable contribution to bilateral relations between Chile and Guyana made by the minister. A dedicated internationalist and expert on Latin American and the Caribbean.”
Rodrigues-Birkett and her Chilean counterpart have fervently worked to get the relations to this high level. The Guyana foreign minister has instituted many mechanisms to enhance stronger ties with Latin America.
Earlier this year, a project funded by Chile was signed to boost South-South cooperation in the areas of tourism by assisting poor and vulnerable communities rich in eco-tourism potential to develop sustainable businesses, Rodrigues-Birkett said on Wednesday.
She added, «A tourism marketing strategy will also be developed. Chile is also working with Guyana in the mining sector and very shortly a memorandum of understanding will be signed. We will also sign an open skies agreement, which I am confident will make it easier to attract additional airlines to Guyana. Indeed Chile is the headquarters of the LATAM group which includes the LAN and TAM Airlines.»
The top Guyanese diplomat was instrumental in getting one of the world most profitable airlines, COPA of Panama, to add her country to its network of destinations.
Some years ago, Guyana was little known in Latin America, and only three Latin American countries had embassies in Georgetown: Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia. More recently, Argentina and Mexico opened embassies in Guyana.
Rodrigues-Birkett welcomed the opening of a Chilean embassy in Guyana.
She added, «Especially that we seek to strengthen ties with Latin America and new partners in development even as we consolidate our relations with our traditional partners.»
