A group of Caribbean countries have announced bans on entry to foreigners who have travelled through the three West African countries most affected by Ebola. Jamaica said it would not accept travelers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone for the time being.
Guyana’s offshore exploration for oil in areas being contested by neighboring Venezuela is being faced with setbacks. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud in making the revelation said this is linked to the expulsion and temporary seizure of the Malaysian seismic research vessel, RV Teknik Perdana, by Venezuela’s Navy last year.
Argentina thanked Commonwealth member Guyana for its strong support in the Malvinas Islands question and underlined the excellent bilateral relations in all fields, during the official visit of Foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett to Buenos Aires.
By Sir Ronald Sanders - BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The internal politics of Venezuela is playing a big part in the sudden deterioration of that country’s relations with its smaller neighbor Guyana after a period of steady improvement.
The owners of a US-operated oil ship which was detained by the Venezuelan navy on Thursday say the vessel has been released. The Venezuelan navy had boarded the Teknik Perdana on Thursday in disputed waters off the coast of Guyana and sailed it to Venezuela's Margarita Island.
Guyana says the Venezuelan navy has entered its territorial waters and detained a US-operated ship. The government said the Venezuelan actions in the disputed Essequibo region constituted a serious threat to peace in the region.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ended a one-day visit to Guyana on Saturday in a move that strengthens the relationship between the two countries that have had a long standing border dispute. The two countries have agreed to ask the Jamaica-born academic, Professor Norman Girvan to continue as the United Nations (UN) Good Officer as they seek to settle their border dispute.
Suriname and Guyana signed on Thursday the protocols to become associate members of Mercosur which is currently holding its mid year summit in Montevideo. This means all South American countries are now part of Mercosur.
In the eve of the Managua summit which will focus on creating a new Economic Zone, Petrocaribe, the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez’s oil treaty, continues to play a vital role in the economic development of its 18 member states from the Central America and Caribbean region. But given the current political and economic climate in Venezuela, the question remains if Petrocaribe’s cheap oil is sustainable?
The following piece was written by Andrew Ayre, British High Commissioner in Georgetown, Guyana and published in StabroekNews from Guyana.