The European Union’s (EU) relationship with Guyana has gotten “even better” and EU Ambassador to Guyana, Dr Fernando Ponz Cantó has pledged continued support to upholding the principles of cooperation, democracy and rule of law here as well as the Government’s ‘One Guyana’ initiative.
Ponz Cantó made this statement on Monday evening during his address at a reception held in observance of Europe Day and 50 years of European Union partnership with Guyana at Georgetown Club, Camp Street, Georgetown.
Europe Day is held on May 9th every year and marks the anniversary of the historic Schuman declaration which started Europe on the path to becoming the European Union.
According to the Ambassador, the EU is committed to supporting the Government’s efforts to building a ‘One Guyana’. “We want to have one Europe… We want also to support One Guyana,” he said.
He said that he believes that Europe’s greatest achievement is its maintenance of peace among its member states. “Whenever I am asked what is the greatest achievement of the European Union…..I never hesitate. I always say peace between the European Union member states…. Peace is in the DNA of the European Union….We want peace in our union but also we want peace elsewhere”,” the Ambassador noted.
Apart from peace, other essential principles of the Schuman declaration are solidarity, cooperation, democracy and the rule of law. “I am happy to say we have been working very hard in Guyana to uphold those principles as well,” the Ambassador said.
This year also marks the EU’s 50 years of cooperation with Guyana.
Over this period, Ponz Cantó said the EU and Guyana have cooperated on political relations, trade, development cooperation, investments and human rights. “We have achieved a lot together over the years…We have covered development cooperation, we have helped Guyana with the seawall which protects the lives of Guyanese citizens, we have helped also with many other cooperation efforts….and you can count on us to continue,” the Ambassador assured.
He also asserted that while the EU relationship with Guyana has “always been” good, it has “gotten better” now. “….We would keep working to uphold democracy….We will continue to uphold governance, rule of law, to help Guyana wherever Guyana needs us. Electoral reform, governance, forest partnerships, preservation of the environment, all the many challenges,” the Ambassador said.
Ponz Cantó was one of the western diplomats here who played key roles in helping to ensure that a fair result was declared at the 2020 general elections.
The future, Ponz Cantó said is even “brighter” now. “Guyana has I believe now the opportunity to fully realize its enormous potential. There will be challenges of course…..but Europe will always be there at your side,” he noted.
Speaking on behalf of President Irfaan Ali and Prime Minister, Mark Phillips, Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo thanked the Ambassador for the role he played in ensuring that freedom and democracy was maintained here during the 2020 elections.
“The European Union team stayed on after the battle at GECOM, after the blatant attempt to steal the elections, they stayed on in a very industrious way. They were there every single day, trying to ferret out information about what was really happening,” Jagdeo said.
He added that the EU has also significantly helped Guyana over the past 50 years.
“Europe has helped us a lot in Guyana. In our development programmes, the European Union has contributed in the difficult days, trying to raise the standard of living in this country and we had a very difficult path to walk towards to where we are today……It was the European Union among others’ contribution that helped us to reach where we are even before oil,” Jagdeo stated.
He assured the Ambassador that the “same fiscal discipline and commitment” to the nation’s goals that they pursued before, will govern the government’s approach to utilizing the resources coming from the Oil and Gas sector.
During their addresses, both the Ambassador and Jagdeo spoke about the situation in Ukraine.
For the first time in years, the Ambassador said there is war on European
European soil. “I want to reiterate today the European Union’s strongest rejection of aggression and invasion and our call for respect of international law. For withdrawal of all the attacks and for withdrawal of all the troops. Whatever deployments, whatever the issues, violence and aggression are not the answer,” he said.
“Furthermore, we insist in this conflict and in every conflict that civilians must always be respected. Women, children, those who are most defenseless, they must always be respected. Never taken as a target,” the Ambassador added.
Jagdeo said that the war in Ukraine has impacted many countries around the world. “Not just an economic impact…. If we don’t succeed in ensuring that the rule of law prevails in Europe then many adventurers around the world may use this as justification for their own excursions into other countries and that is why it’s a world’s project…We all have to succeed in the issue of Ukraine. That is having a ceasefire and ending the war in Ukraine,” he said.
A number of Government Ministers as well as Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton; Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine; Region Four Chairman, Daniel Seeram and members of the Diplomatic Corps attended the event.
