When Guyana participates in the Working Group of South American Citizenship forum next week in Ecuador, among discussions will be the establishing of a common passport for citizens of South American nations.
“The meeting will continue works started towards the development of a plan for South American citizenship, mobility, identity and rights. Also to be discussed is proposals relating to the establishment of a common South American passport…,” Minister of State Joseph Harmon told a press conference on Wednesday.
Harmon informed that at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, approval was given for Carol Primo-Lewis, Head of the Immigration Support Services of the Department of Citizenship and Darius Frank of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to attend.
The Minister of State explained that while Guyana was also a member of Caricom and its citizens already hold a common Caricom passport, it should be noted that it is also a member of the Union of South American Nations, UNASUR.
However, he said he did not foresee any decision on the matter in the near future.
“We are also a member of several South American international organizations and we subscribe to several treaties,” he noted. “It might very well be, and not necessarily, the issuance of a new passport, but the fact that the passport which you have…, might give you access to these other countries without the necessities for visas and so on. But this is just my thinking on the matter,” Harmon posited.
“These are just discussions that are taking place…. Any treaties that involve South American countries we have to be aware of as it relates to immigration, as it relates to citizenship… This conference deals with those issues but I don’t anticipate that they will come out with a blueprint, to say by 2017, you are going to have these passports. I don’t anticipate it to be that,” he added.
