Guyana opened its first diplomatic mission on the African continent after a 23-year absence, with Ambassador Barbara Haley being appointed acting High Commissioner in Pretoria, South Africa.
At a press briefing yesterday Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett stated that Haley would be in her current role until President Ramotar formally appoints a High Commissioner. The last time Guyana had an ambassadorial presence on the African continent was prior to 1991 in Zambia.
Rodrigues-Birkett stated that although work was ongoing since August 2013 the High Commission is now fully operational. She stated that Guyana’s relationship with South Africa has been consistently growing and that South Africa’s major mining investments in Guyana contributed to the establishment of a High Commission.
She said Guyana’s relations with South Africa will continue to grow and furthermore Guyana will now have a footing in the fastest growing continent. She did state that for now and in the near future Guyana was not looking to establish other High Commissions noting that as a small country it was near impossible to have a diplomatic presence across the board.
Rodrigues-Birkett said that the High Commission was to promote prosperous relations and would undoubtedly be beneficial to Guyanese living and working in South Africa.
Meanwhile Rodrigues-Birkett praised the work of the Honorary Consul in Barbados Michael Brotherson, stating that since upgrading the mission in April 2012, it has continued to benefit relations between the two countries. She said the decision was mindful of the welfare of Guyanese nationals living and working in Barbados.
The minister stated that the joint commission between Barbados and Guyana continues to strengthen trade and investments as Guyana is the only Caricom country with residence in Barba-dos. Rodrigues-Birkett added that Brotherson has also been accredited for the island nation of St Maarten.
Six additional Honorary Consuls were also appointed in Canada, United States, India, Turkey, Venezuela and Palestine.
