PRESS RELEASE

Minister of Foreign Affairs invites OIC member States to pursue investment opportunities in Guyana and updates Council of Foreign Ministers on latest developments in Guyana/Venezuela controversy

Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guyana, Carl Greenidge, participated in the 43rd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation held in the Uzbek capital Tashkent on 18-19 October 2016. The Organization, which was founded in 1969, has 57 member countries, including Guyana and Suriname from the Caricom region.

During the session, the Council focused on the importance of education in combating terrorism and on current developments in the Muslim world. In his address to the meeting, Minister Greenidge adverted to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the civil war in Syria and its dire humanitarian consequences, and the growing Islamaphobia resulting from terrorism. The Minister also took the opportunity to update the Council on the latest developments in the controversy between Guyana and Venezuela over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, highlighting in particular the obstacle that it posed to Guyana’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the status of efforts to find a settlement to the controversy. The matter was currently in the hands of the United Nations Secretary-General and Guyana had called on him to exercise his authority to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice for a final and binding ruling. The Minister concluded his presentation by extending an invitation to the member States of the OIC to consider the many opportunities for investment and cooperation with Guyana.

Minister Greenidge also held informal meetings on the margins of the Conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname, Niermala Badrising, the former Prime Minister of Togo, Gilbert Houngbo, and with representatives of the Islamic Development Bank and of the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Governing Body. The Minister also participated in a brainstorming session on widening opportunities and promoting the creative potential of young people.

The Council adopted the Tashkent Declaration in which member States pledged to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General of the Organization and to strengthen their mutually beneficial cooperation in political, economic, education and other vital areas. The Declaration also expressed the hope that the platform of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will contribute to strengthening confidence between Pakistan and India, maintaining a constructive dialogue and effective multifaceted cooperation, with a view to ensuring security and stability in the regions of South and Central Asia.

The 44th Session of the Council will be held in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, in June 2017.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs was accompanied by Mr. Shiraz Mohamed, First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations who has oversight for OIC-related matters.

 

Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations

21 October 2016