The Democratic Republic of Congo has invited President Bharrat Jagdeo to attend a special summit for regions with tropical rainforests at May month end.
Henri Djombo, Congo Minister of Sustainable Development, Forest Economy and Environment extended the invitation when he met the president at the installation ceremony for the new Secretary-General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) Maria Emma Majia Velez.
A Government Information Agency (GINA) press release said the meeting also included Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, to whom he also extended the invitation, and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), as efforts continue to strengthen ties between Guyana and the Congo basin. GINA said Guyana has accepted the invitation, which was extended on behalf of Congolese President Joseph Kabila.
On Tuesday, the Congolese minister met officials of the GFC to discuss ways in which they can cooperate in the area of forestry. He also signalled an interest in Guyana’s chainsaw milling project and the Forestry Training Centre.
The minister said that he was very impressed and encouraged by the government’s forestry related initiatives, noting that the local chainsaw project is the kind of initiative that should be encouraged in his country given its prospects in providing access to markets. Djombo also explained that his country had never explored converting logs to lumber for its domestic market and as such wood and wood products are costly.
Last July, Djombo and a team visited Guyana on a fact-finding mission and were briefed on the Low Carbon Development Strategy. GINA said Guyana and the Congo agreed to explore working together after the two presidents met at the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference in May.
