In his Europe Day message today, EU Ambassador Fernando Ponz Cantó made a veiled reference to the ongoing electoral crisis here when he said he would not wish dictatorship on any country including Guyana.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, the customary European Union (EU) reception to mark the historic May 9th, 1950 ‘Schuman declaration’ was reduced to a video message by the EU Ambassador to Guyana and Suriname.
Laden with references to EU values of democracy and the rule of law, Ponz Cantó, 53, noted that he had been born under a dictatorial regime – a reference to the rule of Spain’s Francisco Franco from 1939 to 1975 – and would not want it for any country including Guyana.
He said: “The EU plays a key role in diplomacy and works to foster stability, security, prosperity, democracy and human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law at the international level together with our partners.
“Almost every EU country including my own suffered war and dictatorship over the last century. I was born in a dictatorial regime and I don’t want that for anybody – not for Guyana, not for any country”.
Ponz Cantó and other Western ambassadors have been at the forefront of pressing the Guyana government and GECOM to ensure a credible election result and warning that if this was not done sanctions could be on the horizon. Ponz Cantó was one of four western ambassadors who met yesterday with Guyana’s de facto Minister of Foreign Affairs Karen Cummings on elections matters.
The Ambassador in his message today said that the “EU has brought a successful response of democracy, peace and unity which has now become the cornerstone of global governance and multilateralism”.
In his address he emphasised the EU’s role as the largest provider of development and humanitarian aid globally.
He noted that the EU was providing nine million Euros to the region through the Caribbean Public Health Agency to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and assured that “we will emerge together, stronger and better”.
