Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett lauded the reopening of an Argentine diplomatic mission here as an opportunity to further strengthen ties between the two countries.
She was speaking at a reception held in honour of the Argentine Navy School Ship ARA Libertad’s visit to Guyana.
According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release Rodrigues-Birkett welcomed the Captain Guillermo Cyburec and his crew to Guyana and extended gratitude to them for listing it as a port of call on the manifesto of its 42nd Training Voyage. The reception was hosted by Minister Luis Martino, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of Argentina in honour of the visit, at the Pegasus Hotel.
Rodrigues-Birkett also applauded the presence of the first woman crew to have graduated this year from the Argentine Naval Academy, as well as cadets from Brazil, Chile, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay. The minister noted that the re-opening of the Argentine diplomatic mission in Georgetown, after 20 years, is a positive step towards the deepening of bilateral relations and the strengthening of South American integration through mutual membership of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). She also said as Pro Tempore President of UNASUR, Guyana is looking forward to continuing to forge closer links with Argentina in the interest of realizing true South American integration.
In response, the Argentine Charge d’Affaires said he was thankful for Guyana’s assistance in guiding the process for the re-opening of the Embassy. He also said that the presence of the Navy School Ship in Georgetown is a symbol of the spirit of friendship and goodwill that exists between the two countries, GINA said.
According to GINA, since Guyana and Argentina established diplomatic relations on October 6, 1972 both countries have shared a cooperative bilateral relationship that has resulted in the signing of agreements for their mutual benefit. The main agreements inked are on the Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, as well as for the Abolition of Visas for holders of Diplomatic, Official and Ordinary Passports. From 1980-1991, Argentina maintained an Embassy in Georgetown. Also, at the regional level, Guyana and Argentina are active members of UNASUR, Organization of American States, the Rio Group/Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States mechanism. The Argentine Embassy in Guyana will provide an opportunity for more fruitful collaboration under the CARICOM-Argentina cooperation mechanism.
