Guyana, Qatar hold first political consultation to strengthen bilateral cooperation

Guyana and Qatar held their first political consultation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation on Tuesday, December 10, 2024.  The political consultation was convened following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Guyana and Qatar on holding Political Consultations on Issues of Mutual Interest by Hon. Hugh Hilton Todd, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud led discussions with H.E Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary-General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. They were both accompanied by officials from the respective Foreign Ministries.

“There are many opportunities that exist in which we can develop, and we can explore, and we hope that through today’s political consultation, we can examine those and that itself would lead to some specific and additional areas in which we can mutually agree to in terms of pursuing,” Foreign Secretary Persaud said in his opening remarks.

H.E Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi indicated that while some Qatari companies have already started investing in Guyana, the [Qatari] government aims to expand their investments beyond the energy sector and will be exploring other ventures including real estate and hotels.

The two sides reviewed the existing areas of bilateral cooperation which cover infrastructure, health, agriculture, and energy. They agreed to advance and deepen cooperation in these areas while exploring new initiatives and endeavoured to enhance coordination within multilateral institutions on areas of mutual interest.

The Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Guyana on September 12, 2023, where various areas of interest and cooperation were discussed which led to a series of undertakings between the two countries including various agreements in hospitality, biodiversity conservation efforts and support in areas of health.

Before the political consultation, H.E Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi and his delegation paid a courtesy call to His Excellency President Ali.