Trinidad and Tobago, Guyanese foreign ministers meet amicably

A cordial virtual meeting was held between Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne and Guyanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana Hugh H Todd on Thursday.

In a release, the Foreign and Caricom Affairs Ministry said the ministers reaffirmed the commitment of their governments to strengthening the bonds of friendship between Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana and deepening and expanding co-operation between their two countries.

It said they undertook to bolster efforts at enhancing co-operation between the two countries in the areas of trade, investment and energy, through mechanisms such as the Framework Agreement on the Deepening of Bilateral Co-operation and the Memorandum of Understanding on Energy Sector Co-operation, respectively.

They agreed to pursue implementation of the mechanisms with a view to having meetings of the high-level bilateral commission, executing committee and joint working group within six months of their meeting.

The release said, given mutual concern about the regional food import bill, the ministers agreed to continue collaboration on the project Advancing the Caricom Agri-Food Systems Agenda: Prioritising Regional Food and Nutrition Security, as the two countries sit on the special ministerial task force on food protection and food security.

Todd also took the opportunity to convey Guyana’s gratitude for TT’s continued support for the preservation and maintenance of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The meeting follows several recent heated exchanges between officials of TT’s government and that of Guyana on the subject of vaccines.

In early June, the Prime Minister said the Guyanese government had decided to use vaccines which were not approved by the World Health Organisation, namely the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, and it was for this reason that Guyana had more vaccines than TT.

In response, Guyana's advisor to the Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy described Dr Rowley’s remarks as reckless and accused him of trying to deflect attention from the shortfalls of TT's vaccination programme.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) described the Prime Minister’s statements as irresponsible and reprehensible and accused him of trying to gain political mileage.