Dear Editor,
First of all I wish to express my gratitude for the interest shown by Stabroek News in my country, particularly in regard to the establishment of the First Per-manent Mexican Diplomatic Mission in Guyana, which is reflected in the editorial of March 22, 2009.
As mentioned in the said editorial, it seems that there is very limited knowledge about Mexico in Guyana. One of the main purposes of my Government when opening an Embassy in Guyana was to provide first-hand information about the reality of Mexico, a mission that could be accomplished more easily with the support of the local means of communication, particularly that of a newspaper with the prestige, quality, and importance of Stabroek News.
The Government of Mexico decided to open a Permanent Embassy in Guyana with a view primarily to strengthening and enlarging the political, economic and cultural links with the anglophone Caribbean. It is also important to emphasize that Guyana displays significant activity and dynamism in the forums, organisations and mechanisms of regional and international political coordination; it is a Caricom founder member; since 2008, it is a full member of the Rio Group, having been a representative of the Caricom countries to the said group for ten years; it is a member of UNASUR (Union of Nations in South America), of the G77 and the Movement of the Non-aligned Countries, as well as part of the British Commonwealth Community and a member of the Asian-Caribbean-Pacific Group. Guyana has also taken the lead in important regional initiatives on the subjects of climatic change, agriculture and external debt, among others.
Mexico has the status of observer to Caricom. With an Embassy in Guyana, the Mexican Government looks forward to making good use of the opportunities that the country members of Caricom represent, because of their united economic potential and the co-ordination and political arrangements that they have reached in forums and multilateral organizations.
I wish to emphasize, unlike what was mentioned in your editorial, that the fight which Mexico faces against drug gangs, which is part of a wide-ranging fight against organized crime, has nothing to do with a counter-insurgency operation. Mexico is fighting against criminals.
The fight that Mexico is confronting now is against organized crime of which drugs is a very important part. This struggle, in the short and medium term, is oriented to strengthen the state, to support the local authorities, pursue the criminal elements, and strike their logistics, organizational structure and finances. In the long term, the purposes of these actions are oriented towards the complete reconstruction of certain institutions, particularly those of justice and justice administration.
Finally, I would like to point out that Mexico is coordinating positions with the Government of Guyana in relation to international organizations and mechanisms of political coordination, such as the Rio Group, and we also share views on important international issues. Mexico respects and appreciates the dynamism and emphasis placed by Guyana on international political activity, and looks forward to reinforcing bilateral relations through a permanent Embassy.
Yours faithfully,
Fernando Sandoval
Ambassador of Mexico
