Guyana safe from Brexit fallout, says UK High Commissioner
Britain has sought to give Guyana the assurance that it will be business as usual, at least for the next two years, following the recent UK referendum to leave the European Union (EU), popular known as “Brexit.”
“In the short term as the Foreign Minister [Carl Greenidge] nothing will change as the Foreign Minister has also said there are legal obligations and legal agreements around EU development assistance,” said, British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn, in a video message posted on the British High Commission Facebook webpage on Monday.
Britons last week voted by a 52-48 margin to leave the 43-year-old European Union grouping, which also led to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, who will demit office in October.
Caribbean countries are still analyzing the implication of the vote. There are concerns that the UK decision could affect the distribution of aid to Guyana, which is set to receive £53.2 million in British aid. Quinn, however, said that the United Kingdom is expanding its commitment to the Caribbean and Guyana saying “that also will not change.
“As I sit here today I can tell you that the UK is committed to Guyana and will continue to be committed to Guyana whether we are a member of the EU or not, we are still and will remain a major player on the world stage,” the British diplomat said.
He said that it could take as long as two years or more before the UK completely exits the EU, despite the vote last week.
“It will be a long process. It will be a complicated process and I suspect that it will be a difficult process. In the interim, the UK remains a member of the European Union with all the rights, responsibilities and obligations that membership brings,” he said.
