JOINT DECLARATION BY THE PRESIDENTS OF THE COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA, THE FEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF BRAZIL AND THE REPUBLIC OF SURINAME
The President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, H.E. Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the Presidents of the Federative Republic of Brazil, H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and of the Republic of Suriname, H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, held a trilateral working meeting, accompanied by their respective delegations, on February 28, 2024, in Georgetown, on the margins of the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
The holding of the trilateral meeting reflects the interest of the governments and societies of the three countries to promote the sustainable development with social justice of their respective populations, based on their historical relations of friendship and good neighbourliness and the similar views they maintain about the importance of Amazonian and South American integration and the construction of a more just, inclusive and equitable global order, with full respect for International Law and for the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations.
They recommitted their respective countries to work unceasingly towards the maintenance of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace and of cooperation for sustainable development.
When reviewing the present stage of relations between the three countries, the Presidents agreed to establish trilateral working groups, at the technical level, in the areas of (i) physical and digital infrastructure, (ii) energy and (iii) cooperation in the fight against transnational illicit activities to deepen and implement initiatives of common interest. Such Working Groups will report the progress attained to the Ministers responsible for the respective areas, for consideration in trilateral meetings of the Ministers.
In the area of infrastructure, the Presidents recognised the opportunity to advance in the consolidation of projects that strengthen the physical and digital connectivity between the three countries, such as the full paving of the Linden- Lethem road, connecting the Brazilian state of Roraima to Georgetown, and the modernisation of the road connection between the Brazilian state of Amapá and the capitals of Guyana and Suriname, passing through French Guiana, which is to be included in future discussions on this route. They also emphasized the importance of examining, in this context, the measures for the optimization of these routes in terms of trade and investment facilitation.
In the field of energy, they agreed to deepen discussions on cooperation in the oil and gas sector, including exploration and production, regulation and contingency plans and emergency response. They expressed interest in the development of sustainable projects of hydroelectric generation and integration of electrical networks, in order to strengthen the energy security and efficiency of regional systems. They also welcomed the opportunity to advance the discussions on other renewable energy modalities, including bioenergy.
Finally, they reaffirmed their common interest in strengthening cooperation in the fight against transnational crime, through joint police operations, exchange of intelligence information, capacity developing activities and negotiation of cooperation projects for the use of remote sensing images as a tool to combat transnational organized crime. In reviewing the Cooperation in security in the Guiana Shield region, the presidents expressed their satisfaction with the initiatives taken during meetings between the security agencies in Brazil, Suriname, Guyana, and relevant adjacent countries. However, they urged those agencies to intensify their cooperation in addition to the meetings of the working group to be established in the sector of security.
The Presidents also agreed to ensure the successful implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in their respective countries.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chandrikapersad Santokhi thanked President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the authorities of the Government of Guyana and the Guyanese population for the hospitality extended to them and their delegations during the period in which they were in the country.
Adopted in Georgetown on February 29, 2024.