Suriname hands over UNASUR chairmanship to Uruguay

UNASUR pro-tempore chairmanship passed on to Uruguay 

December 15, 2014

PRIME MINISTER Samuel Hinds and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett led a Guyana team to meetings in Eucador which demonstrate both regular business and progress of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).

The new UNASUR headquarters in Ecuador

On December 4, at a meeting of Heads in Guyaquil, the annual Pro-Tempore Chairmanship of UNASUR was passed from President Desi Delano Bouterse of Suriname to President Jose Alberto Mujica Cordano of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.

On December 5, in Quito, the new modern magnificent headquarters building of UNASUR was inaugurated during day long ceremonies of great pomp and splendour.  The location, known as the “Centre of the Earth”, lent greatly to the grandeur of the occasion, set at the foot of a low hill leading to a temple to the Sun God, amidst peaks of the Andean mountain range; the Equator is marked on a line through the Centre of the Temple.

The 12-member UNASUR comprise: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Colombia, Chile and Bolivia.

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South Bank about to be formally set up

During the Regular Meeting of Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the South Bank decided to define in June the methodology that will be used to choose the president and directors of the Bank in July.

President Desi Bouterse with three other UNASUR leaders.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Ricardo Patiño, emphasized the need to move forward with "greater flexibility" in the  weeks for the bank to come into full operation.

During the meeting of Foreign Ministers of the South Bank held on May 23 in Galapagos, the Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Elias Jaua announced that it was decided to recommend to the Council of Ministers of the South Bank to formally convene the Board once the appointment of delegates from all member countries is completed in the coming weeks. The board will meet in the last week of June in Caracas, the Bank headquarters.

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Update on the building of the Corentyne River Bridge

The Guyana government has budgeted resources to prepare the Corentyne Bridge terminal in the 2014 national budget.

The Finance Minister said that an agreement has been reached with Suriname, an unspecified amount is budgeted, and work is to commence.

In February this year, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett reported that plans are well underway. Engineers are currently working on what the bridge will look like in terms of design. The Chinese Government, according to her, will fund construction.

The Foreign Minister said, “Guyana, at the request of Suriname, has informed the Chinese Government that we are supportive of the bridge across the Corentyne River.
The Guyana Government has also sent ‘No Objection’ letters to the Foreign Ministries of Suriname and China in support of the construction of the bridge.

In 2010, then President, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo and his Surinamese counterpart, President Desi Bouterse, signed an accord for the undertaking of a feasibility study on bridging the Corentyne River, with both countries pledging to pursue a closer working relationship.

Berbice River Bridge

During another meeting in Suriname in 2012, Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar and Suriname’s President Bouterse had agreed to move to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to seek joint financing for construction of the bridge. At that meeting, the two Heads reiterated the significance of building the structure, noting that it would considerably enhance trade and economic relations and cultural exchanges between the peoples of the two nations.

The bridge across the Corentyne River has been identified as one of the projects that would further physically integrate the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), of which Guyana is a member. It remains, therefore, a key area of focus for the governments of both countries.