In the fullness of time the significance of Thursday’s February 29 Trilateral Meeting that brought together Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali, Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva, and Suriname’s President, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, will become a good deal clearer in terms of its particular significance to the three countries, both collectively and in terms of their respective objectives, though its timing would appear to suggest that the three neighbouring countries may now be ready to ramp up relations among themselves in areas of common economic interests.
Oil is what the three countries have in common. Brazil is the giant here; Guyana is the emerging power and Suriname would appear to be on the cusp of a major oil recovery operation. Any significant collaborative undertaking that involves the three countries and with Brazil being well ahead of the pack in terms of the size and advancement of its oil sector, there can hardly be any question as to who will lead the way. For the three South American countries that appear set to forge ahead in terms of strengthening their economic and strategic ties, oil is as good a platform to stand on though informed analysts are likely to argue that such an alliance is more than likely to get the attention of Venezuela, particularly since information released from the trilateral meeting in Georgetown signals that the engagement between the respective working groups of three countries involved in the meeting reportedly focused on “infrastructure, energy and security.”
A March 1 article in the state-run Guyana Chronicle waxed warm about the meeting between the three Presidents “set(ting)the stage for a comprehensive strategic roadmap,” which, it says, “will see working groups being established in infrastructure, energy, and security for a more interconnected, secure, and sustainable future in the region,” though skeptics may well suggest that President Nicholas Maduro’s boisterous restating of his country’s territorial claim against Guyana may be a factor which may not have been taken sufficient account of in the initial assessment of the recent trilateral engagement in Georgetown. Of particular significance of the recent tr1lateral engagement was the fact that it was held on the margins of the 46th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Arguably, the most significant signal sent by the recent tri-lateral meeting was that Georgetown, Brasilia and Paramaribo were not about to sacrifice the strengthening of relations between like-minded South American nations on the altar of Venezuela’s territorial claim. This much is underscored by the agreement among the three Presidents to create trilateral working groups embracing in the areas of “physical and digital infrastructure, energy, and joint initiatives against transnational illicit activities.” The significance of this development can hardly be overlooked in circumstances where analysts may well be of the view that the pace of progress between and among some South American countries with manifestly common interests has been, in some instances, painfully slow.
One particularly
interesting development arising out of the meeting in Georgetown was the interest shown by the Brazilian President in deepening relations with member countries of the Caribbean Community beyond those member countries with which it shares no land borders. Contextually, one of his critical inputs into the recent meeting was, reportedly, the need to upgrade connectivity and cooperation between Brazil and those countries in order to explore the possibility of cooperation in the realm of food security. It would be remiss of CARICOM to ignore the Brazilian President’s reported offer to pave Brazil’s way to the Caribbean by opening “corridors capable of meeting supply demands and strengthening food security in the region.” This, from a region whose food security bona fides continue to attract the attention on UN agencies on the grounds of food security limitations, is hardly one that CARICOM countries can afford to ignore.
Unsurprisingly, the Brazilian President’s address to the forum also reportedly addressed the need to strengthen existing connectivity between the continent and the Caribbean at both the physical and digital levels. Reports arising out of the meeting also indicated that President Lula was also mindful of the importance of pressing ahead with projects that create and/or strengthen relations among Guyana, Brazil and Suriname. President Lula’s address at the recent Georgetown forum appeared to seek to define critical elements in the unfolding relationship between South America and the Caribbean which will keep analysts speculating as to whether or when the Brazilian President’s presentation in Georgetown recently will help to form the essence of relations between and among those countries that have regional and hemispheric interests in common.
