Foreign Affairs $6.8B fiscal allocation granted

– Among other areas, allocation will go towards strengthening government’s the foreign trade departments 

DPI, Guyana, Monday December 10, 2018

Of the $300.7 Billion 2019 budget, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been ganted $6.8Billion. This caters for a sum of approximately $6,302,678Million for Current expenditure and $535,627 for Capital expenditure.

“The Government remains committed to advancing the country’s multilateral, regional and bilateral trading interest, identifying new markets for goods and services through the formulation of a coherent and effective trade policy”

This is the basis under which Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, defended his ministry’s budgetary allocations.

Minister Greenidge was responding to a question raised by Opposition Member of Parliament, Clement Rohee, about increased allocations for the ministry’s foreign office, which is responsible for promoting economic diplomacy.

The Minister stated that the increase to the foreign trade department is to ensure the strengthening of the office; for example, the hiring of a Head of Mission with experience and analytical skills.

He explained that this is in keeping with an arrangement between the government and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for working jointly on the fashioning of planned foreign trade policy, as well as a number of other services.

“Establishing an exporters database, a national trade informational portal, possibly a trade magazine and a variety of other strategies database” … “the increase reflects the ministry bringing together technical skills where it is needed,” the Foreign Affairs Minister stated.

Felecia Valenzuela.

Photo: Keno George.