Closed-door tripartite discussions among Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali, President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, and the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, in Paramaribo yesterday will be advanced at the ministerial level in the coming months, the Office of the President said.
President Ali will today host the Brazilian leader where bilateral agreements will be signed.
Ali returned to Guyana yesterday afternoon to prepare to host Bolsonaro on a state visit today.
“President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Dr Irfaan Ali, today met with the President of the Republic of Suriname, H.E Chandrikapersad Santokhi and the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil H.E Jair Bolsonaro for a working lunch at Torarica Hotel in Paramaribo. The Heads of State discussed enhancing cooperation in a number of areas, including infrastructure, trade and energy. Talks between the nations will be advanced at the ministerial level in the coming months,” Office of the President shared along with photographs of yesterday’s visit.
Accompanying the President were his Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd; Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill; Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat; and Head of Go-Invest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop.
The President’s office has said that the talks were to range on a number topics, including the establishment of an energy corridor, oil and gas, and other natural resources opportunities.
On Wednesday, an official here had told this newspaper that the three were likely to ink a memorandum of understanding to develop a regional energy corridor using natural gas reserves.
“It is no secret that the Government of Guyana had plans to develop a regional energy corridor in a tripartite agreement with Suriname and Brazil… the Arco Norte project will especially meet the energy needs of the three countries,” the top government official had said.
And the Office of the President reported that President Bolsonaro and a team of officials are expected to travel to Georgetown for a one-day official visit with President Ali and his team of Ministers today.
Discussions will centre on improving economic relations, energy and food security, telecommunications, agriculture, infrastructure integration and the development of a deep water harbour in Guyana. Since Guyana offers the shortest and quickest access to the Atlantic for significant parts of northern Brazil, a road connection linked to the deep-water port could also serve the interest of both countries.
The Office of the President noted that when the two leaders spoke last Monday via teleconference, they “discussed enhancing the Partial Scope Agreement between their nations with the hope of bolstering trade,” and, “also deliberated on topics for further engagements at the Ministerial levels.”
Shortly after taking office in 2020, Ali had signalled that Guyana and Suriname, given their oil and gas development status, would fuse synergies to make their countries energy efficient.
Then last year during a visit by the Surinamese president, the two sides made among other commitments, an agreement to pursue proposals to craft a joint strategy to develop natural gas reserves which also potentially aims at tapping into the lucrative Brazil market.
“In the area of oil and gas and recognizing that both countries will be key players in the oil and gas sector, we have decided that we’re going to collaborate and develop a ‘Joint Approach Strategy’, not only in the development of the industry itself, but in supporting the development of our human resources to meet the industry requirement,” Ali had announced alongside President Santokhi.
Both presidents had explained that they had also decided on an initiative where they will invite the presidents of Brazil, and French Guiana’s governor, France, to be part of an energy summit to discuss the Arco Norte gas pipeline and electricity generation project.
This project envisages the interconnection of the Guyana, Northern Brazil, Suriname, and French Guiana power systems.
The Arco Norte region consists of Guyana, Suriname, Brazil (the northern states of Amapá and Roraima) and French Guiana. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a study on the project states, “The electrical interconnection of the Arco Norte region would improve the regional electricity system, allowing electricity trading among these countries. This would allow for an optimal power generation expansion plan, under which the region could use the most efficient sources of electricity, minimizing costs and environmental and social impacts. Regional electricity trading would also help guarantee security of supply.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Bolsonaro said yesterday that Suriname will give Brazilian state-controlled oil company Petrobras priority in the exploration of oil and gas reserves recently discovered offshore.
Bolsonaro spoke by webcast to supporters in Brazil from Paramaribo, where he met with President Santokhi.
