Response by
His Excellency Bharrat Jagdeo
President of the Republic of Guyana
to the Accreditation Speech by
His Excellency Datuk John Tenewi Nuek
High Commissioner of Malaysia to Guyana - November 22, 2001

Excellency,

I am pleased to accept the Letters of Credence accrediting you as High Commissioner of Malaysia to the Republic of Guyana.

I wish to thank you for the kind greetings which have been extended.

Excellency, ever since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Guyana and Malaysia, exchanges have been characterized by a spirit of friendship and cooperation. At the bilateral level, relations have been active and have been based primarily on shared interests in the economic and cultural fields.

In this regard there have been appreciable contacts in the areas of mining, agriculture, forestry and education. These exchanges have contributed significantly towards our developmental efforts.

I am particularly appreciative for the number of scholarships which Malaysia has offered to Guyana on an annual basis. This has contributed in no small way to our capacity building efforts.

At the international level at the United Nations and within the G77 Guyana and Malaysia have collaborated closely over the years as we have sought to advance the social and economic interests of developing countries.

This is particularly illustrated in the support Guyana received from Malaysia in 1989 at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kuala Lumpur when the Iwokrama Rain Forest Project was presented.

Excellency, Your accreditation comes at a time when my Government is focused on the expansion of Guyana’s social and economic services within the context of our national development strategy.

As part of this strategy, my Government is working towards promoting increased trade and investment. In this regard we have recently tabled in the National Assembly an investment code which guarantees the conditions for investment. I trust that during your tour of duty you will encourage further Malaysian investment in Guyana.

In this era of increasing globalization, the survival of small and developing economies such as ours is threatened. We therefore support the view that it is necessary to build new and lasting partnerships between developed and developing countries and more importantly to encourage greater South-South Cooperation.

As you have alluded Excellency, the current international climate requires that all nations collaborate effectively to ensure world peace and stability. My government has expressed its desire to play its part to achieve this goal. For us the search for a just and equitable world is a vital and continuing challenge and one which must be addressed particularly since security is a prerequisite for development.

I look forward to the strengthening of relations between Guyana and Malaysia.

I bid you a warm welcome and wish to assure you of my Government’s support as you commence your tour of duty as High Commissioner of Malaysia to Guyana.