The European Union (EU) is ready to work with Guyana on its planned transition to a `Green’ state, according to its Ambassador here, Jernej Videtic. The Ambassador was speaking at a Europe Day celebration at the Georgetown Club on Monday.
According to a Ministry of the Presidency press release, Videtic assured that Europe stands ready to work with Guyana bilaterally and multilaterally to support the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) as set out in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Speaking at the celebration, President David Granger said that Guyana values the co-operation it enjoys with the European Union and welcomed Europe’s assistance in enhancing capacity for climate adaptation and resilience.
On economic co-operation, Granger said that Guyana’s exports depend on access to Europe’s markets and as such, the country looks forward to increased European investments. “This Europe Day celebration is a re-affirmation not only of the integration process in one continent but, also, an acknowledgement of the value of that process in other continents of the world,” he said.
Granger added that Guyana looks forward to a post-2020 partnership between the African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP) and the EU and expressed the hope that negotiations on the post-Cotonou ACP-EU relations will produce an enhanced framework for development aid, economic relations and political co-operation.
Videtic, according to the release, said that the EU is pleased that Guyana has taken the lead in the post-Cotonou discussions, which will set the terms of the future relationship between the EU and the ACP group of countries.