In view of Guyana’s purchase of a military vessel earlier this year, France on Saturday offered this country help with technology and human resources to protect its territory from threats, as it seeks to strengthen bilateral relations between Georgetown and Paris.
“In the framework of the excellent relations between the Guyana Defence Force [GDF] and the French Armed Forces… our cooperation covers the entire land, air, and sea spectrum on the Guiana Shield,” Head of the French Diplomatic Bureau in Guyana Jean-Jacques Forté said on Saturday evening, at a reception aboard the French Navy Vessel La Combattante, which made a recent port call here.
The vessel is similar to one purchased by this country earlier this year, an OPV190 from OCEA Shipbuilding, France, which will be delivered soon and will become this country’s largest military vessel. There has been joint planning of technical and operational training to prepare for the new vessel’s arrival.
“Our military cooperation is reflected throughout the year by regular exchanges between our forces here in Georgetown and Cayenne, but also in France with the current presence of Commander Jaime Castello at the annual session of the War College. The GDF, with the French military, meet regularly during jungle hardening courses, in particular at the Foreign Legion’s equatorial forest training centre, and France wishes to consolidate these good relations in other areas, such as 3D capacity with upcoming joint ‘drone’ training, and support for a capacity to detect any near and distant threat by night and day,” Forté said.
“We are aware of the need for Guyana to have a global capacity to protect its land and sea areas, which must contribute to the stability of the region that we are calling for. France has all this expertise, both in terms of high-tech capabilities and in terms of skills with the support of the French armed forces, which it can make available to its partners, in a common interest,” he added.
Guyana’s representative at the event was Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, as President Irfaan Ali and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd were both in Barbados on work duty.
On behalf of the government, Singh hailed the military and business cooperation between the two sides. “I couldn’t possibly stress how deeply appreciative we are of the very clear demonstration France has provided, of your commitment to supporting Guyana, in the preservation and protection of our sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the multiple channels through which the defence cooperation has manifested,” Singh said.
Underscoring the strength of longstanding bilateral relations, France’s envoy said that over the past year, the relationship has been moving forward “in a very strong and fruitful way.
He noted that he came here in September 2023, for the opening of the French Diplomatic Office and in March this year, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Stephane Séjourné was received by President Ali. The two of them announced the creation of a French Embassy in Guyana in 2025. “Since then, I have been working hard together with Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste and with the support of the French Embassy to Suriname and Guyana in Paramaribo, and all the relevant services in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, to prepare this opening and in this perspective, to move forward in all aspects of our bilateral relation,” he noted.
He noted that a joint working group, whose creation was proposed by President Ali and agreed by Minister Séjourne, had its first meeting in May this year and is expected to soon meet again.
“This is meant to enhance our relations in the field of defence, climate change, agriculture, food security, infrastructure, technology and tourism,” he said.
Regarding the defence cooperation, Forté paid tribute “to the remarkable work and commitment of our defence Attaché Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marc Moulin who has played a significant role in the improvement and reinforcement of our defence cooperation with Guyana together with the [GDF] authorities.”
Forté said that French sailors currently in Guyana are looking forward to working with the Guyana Coast Guard with the Shahoud patrol boat that the French armed forces in Guyana are expecting soon for its first stopover in Cayenne.
The participation of Guyana in March 2025, with the other countries of the Guiana Shield, in the “Fer de Lance” exercise will be a further demonstration of the quality of Georgetown and Paris’ solid cooperation, the French envoy said..
Meanwhile, Forté underscored that the opening of the French Embassy here will give a new dimension to France and Guyana bilateral cooperation, as he thanked Guyanese authorities for their commitment and their involvement in all the projects that they are working on together.
On the trade and economic areas, the French diplomat noted that a business mission in the energy sector came to Guyana a week ago, “with fruitful
perspectives for the future, in the same way as the MEDEF mission (largest French business corporation) that came to Guyana earlier in July,” he said.
On the cultural and educational front, he said that France has had the pleasure to welcome aboard members of the committee of the Alliance Française and its director, as he stressed that developing French classes and French cultural activities are also among France’s main objectives. “In this respect, we are offering French classes to the GDF, police officers, and coast guards, which contribute to strengthen our bilateral cooperation,” the French diplomat said.
