Jamaica and Guyana to strengthen relations

Jamaica and Guyana have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in the areas of trade, investment and agriculture.

They will reactivate the Guyana-Jamaica Joint Commission that was set up under the Agreement on Economic, Technical and Cultural Cooperation and which was signed by both states on June 1, 1995.

This followed discussions between Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Guyana’s President David Granger in Jamaica where they attended the 39th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

The reactivation will see both countries collaborating on trade and investment and agriculture, among other things.

Building strong relations in the region

Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, said the partnership is about building strong relations in the region. “Somehow, within the regional context, we don’t always pay enough attention to the strengthening of what we can do across borders and building the relationships with each other,” she said.

Food security

Commenting on the Joint Commission, President Granger said attention was paid to food security, noting that there is enough land space in Guyana and the region for agricultural production.

Further, he said that Caribbean countries could produce all the food needed for the hotel sector and its people.

Granger said Guyana is on the brink of going into the petroleum industry and will be using the resources to enrich the Caribbean’s access to energy.

He said discussions also focused on public security, including trafficking in persons, threat of terrorism, and money laundering.

The inaugural Meeting of the Joint Commission was held from September 4 to 5, 1997 in Jamaica, with discussions covering the areas of agriculture, trade and investment, mining, energy, health, tourism, youth and culture.