President Irfaan Ali speaking at a reception held in observance of India’s 73rd Republic Anniversary at the Atlantic Ballroom, New Pegasus Hotel, on Thursday night, said that the partnership between the two nations would “allow our country to grow and our people to grow”.
He referenced his “fruitful visit” to India and its positive impacts.
“This is no secret. This is a policy position of the Government, and I’m very pleased with the discussions we had at the highest level and their (India’s) overall deep interest in being a part of the entire ecosystem of our energy sector. Not just buying our crude, no. The discussions were not that narrow. The discussions were comprehensive and covered the entire ecosystem in relation to oil and gas.”
Ali in acknowledging the innovative and pioneering aspect of country noted that “India has mastered the art of transforming raw material into value-added, mastered the art. There is nowhere else in the world that does it as good as India. They have mastered the technology that is efficient, that is cost-effective, that is reliable and they are willing to share that technology.”
India, he reminded, has committed to working with Guyana to build a regional Agri-tech campus to support the regional food hub and to advance our agriculture potential.
“So, over the next few months, you will see a number of measures that will be aimed at creating this new ecosystem around agriculture, by focusing on high value, focusing on new areas and innovation, because that is where the future will go. We are building a food production and agricultural system on a platform that will make it competitive, resilient to operate in an economy 2030 and beyond.”
The President added that throughout the years, India has contributed to Guyana’s development “through scholarships, through training, through technology transfer, and the evolution of our cultural development”.
India, he noted, would play a key role as Guyana positions itself as a leader regionally and internationally on many fronts, including on the environment, climate, energy, and food security.
The President stressed the need to have systems in place to ensure that the Region is food secured. He also spoke of the urgency for the policy environment, the institutional framework, and an ecosystem to support a food production system for the region.
“And there is where India as a bilateral partner presents excellent opportunities. So, we have had tremendous discussions around these areas.”
President Ali said that not only is Guyana positioning itself to have solar energy as part of our renewable platform; the aim is to position Guyana to be a manufacturer, to be a producer of alternative energy, including solar.
“That is what we are doing; we are working hard to create a new wave of economic activity. For that to occur, it requires the infrastructure transformation.”
He emphasised that while the country has a small population, “we are in no way small in our ambition”.
Guyana, he added, is seeking out the right relationships and partnerships to advance its development goals, particularly with countries like India.
“It is this partnership that we are creating, it is this partnership that will allow us to have the technology transformation that we want, to be driven and supported by a country that has done it, tested it….”
Guyana’s transformative platform, Dr Ali said, is supported by the most diversified international blend.
“So, in projecting into the future I would like to say that today, I am pleased to lead a Government that can boast of the most diversified international partnerships. We have projects from UK, China, Austria, the United States, Canada, and India.”
Relations between the two countries date back to Guyana’s independence in 1966.
