The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation today announced the signing of the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) – European Union (EU) Partnership Agreement, known as the “Samoa Agreement” by the Government of Guyana.
This accord aims to strengthen ties, promote sustainable development, and enhance cooperation between OACPS member states and the European Union.
Today, Dr. Rajendra Singh, Guyana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, signed the agreement on behalf of Guyana in a ceremony held at the OACPS Secretariat in Brussels, Belgium. The event was attended by high-level officials from the OACPS Secretariat and the European Commission.
A release from the ministry noted that this landmark agreement succeeds the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, signed in 2000, and will govern relations among the signatories for the next twenty years. Negotiations concluded in December 2020, and the agreement entered into force provisionally in January 2024. Guyana is a late signatory.
The 27 EU member states and the 79 African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries collectively represent around 2 billion people and more than half of the seats at the United Nations.
This new Agreement equips the Parties to better address emerging needs and global challenges, including climate change, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and development, migration, health, and peace and security, the release said.
