Two French senators who visited in January this year have called on Paris to establish an embassy here on account of Guyana’s growing economic importance and common security interests in the face of threats from Venezuela.
Writing in the February 17th edition of French weekly newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, François Bonneau, senator from Charente, and Philippe Folliot, senator from Tarn also argued for an embassy on the grounds that Guyanese have to travel to the Dutch embassy in Suriname for a Schengen visa and this limits opportunities for the growth in business ties.
In their capacity as parliamentarians on the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, they travelled to Mabaruma, the capital of Region One then journeyed three kilometres from the border with Venezuela to the villages of Yaraquita and White Water. They noted that they were the first foreign MPs to have visited the area following Venezuela’s December 3rd 2023 referendum seeking to annexe Guyana’s county of Essequibo.
Noting Guyana’s significant oil deposits which should this year place it 6th among the richest countries in the world, the senators said this makes it a “prey” for Venezuela under Nicolas Maduro through its claim to Essequibo despite the 1899 arbitral award. France, they said, cannot remain indifferent to the Venezuelan threat.
The senators wrote that Guyana, through the Essequibo region, will in the coming years be at the centre of major economic, geostrategic, social and environmental issues. They noted that a large part of Guyana’s territory is carpeted by the Amazonian forest and due to its proximity to French Guiana, France must strengthen its presence in this country and make it a major partner on all these levels.
During a first trip to Guyana last April and during their trip at the beginning of the year, they said that Guyanese authorities told them of their expectations of support, as well as of their desire to see French investments develop in their territory. The senators pointed out that a few French companies are already present, like the Amcar company in the north west, specializing in heart of palm, a major employer in the region and which supports 400 Amerindian families.
They asserted that Guyana’s growth will generate increasing demand in terms of infrastructure, energy production and supply, real estate, agriculture and agroforestry, mineral prospecting – sectors in which French companies are underrepresented even though they possess undeniable know-how. The senators asserted that it is therefore time for France to make known the opportunities offered by Guyana to its companies and for these companies to seize them as soon as possible.
Furthermore, as a military partner for many years and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the senators added that France cannot remain indifferent to the Venezuelan threat. They said that Paris must remind Venezuela of fundamental principles such as respect for territorial integrity and international law.
However, to strengthen ties with Guyana and facilitate, establishment of French companies and to provide the means to defend in the event of a Vene-zuelan intrusion, the senators said that a key piece is missing – namely an embassy in George-town.
France, they said, must focus more on its presence in Guyana, and act as a conscious neighbour. Since Brexit, they pointed out that no European Union country is represented in Guyana at the Embassy level. France is also the only permanent member of the UN Security Council not to have an embassy there.
The senators said that they are convinced that France must focus more on its presence in Guyana and act as a neighbour aware of the issues specific to this region. It must assume its role as a historic geographic partner with the countries of the Guiana Plateau, as well as its responsibility as a major player in the management of international relations. Guy-ana, they said, is in demand and its economic future will transform it completely, when, at the same time, its geostrategic future is shrouded in uncertainty.
They said it is up to Paris to respond to this challenge by establishing full diplomatic relations with Guyana which will be the guarantee of its commitment and credibility as a partner.
Last July, France said that it was upping its presence here with the establishment of a bureau from September 2023. This was announced by French Ambassador to Suriname and Guyana, Nicholas de Lacoste. He made the announcement during the Bastille Day celebrations at the Georgetown Club. He explained that the office will be manned by a French career diplomat to represent the interests of France as that country increases its presence here. “It is not an embassy but we will have a permanent diplomatic presence here in Georgetown”, he said.
Asked about the possibility of the establishment of a French embassy here, de Lacoste res-ponded that it is not impossible but it will be dependent on the number of French nationals and French enterprises here, and the development of French culture.
“We take into consideration all these parameters and if we see that the time is right for a full-fledged embassy we will do so. For now, this diplomatic bureau will be linked with the French Embassy in Paramaribo,” he further explained.
