Foreign relations of Guyana

After independence in 1966, Guyana sought an influential role in international affairs, particularly among developing countries and non-aligned nations. It served twice on the UN Security Council (1975–76 and 1982–83). Former Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Attorney General Mohamed Shahabuddeen served a 9-year term on the International Court of Justice (1987–1996). In June 2023, Guyana was elected as a non-permanent member to the UN Security Council. The country will serve on the council for a period of two years, beginning in January 2024.

Guyana has diplomatic relations with a wide range of nations, and these are managed primarily through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The European Union (EU), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Organization of American States (OAS) have offices in Georgetown.

Regional relations

Guyana strongly supports the concept of regional integration. It played an important role in the founding of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), but its historic status as the organization's poorest member limited its ability to exert leadership in regional activities. Since discovering and developing its offshore oil and gas reserves, Guyana has been reclassified by the World Bank as a high-income country. Guyana has sought to keep foreign policy in close alignment with the consensus of CARICOM members, especially in voting in the UN, OAS, and other international organizations. In 2022, Guyana joined the Regional Security System. The Guyana–Venezuela diplomatic crisis has compelled Guyana to expand defense and security relations with a variety of countries, namely Brazil, the United States, India, and the United Kingdom.

International disputes

All of the area west of the Essequibo River has at one point been under dispute, namely by Venezuela and Brazil. In 1899, the government in Caracas reluctantly accepted the Venezuelan-Guyanese border but later revived its claim to the Essequibo in 1962. Suriname has an ongoing dispute with Guyana and this pertains to the area east of the Upper Courantyne.

Currently, two neighbours have longstanding territorial disputes with Guyana. Since the 19th century, Venezuela has claimed the majority or all of Guyana situated west of the Essequibo River – 62% of Guyana's territory. At a meeting in Geneva in 1966, the two countries agreed to receive recommendations from a representative of the UN Secretary General on ways to settle the dispute peacefully. Diplomatic contacts between the two countries and the Secretary General's representative continue. In December 2023, president Nicolás Maduro called for a public referendum which resulted in the government of Venezuela officially claiming ownership of the Essequibo, claim that resulted in the 2023 Guyana–Venezuela crisis.

Neighbouring Suriname also claims the territory east of Guyana's New River, a largely uninhabited area of some in southeast Guyana. Guyana and Suriname also disputed their offshore maritime boundaries. This dispute flared up in June 2000 in response to an effort by a Canadian company to drill for oil under a Guyanese concession. Guyana regards its legal title to all of its territory as sound. However, the dispute with Suriname was arbitrated by the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea and a ruling in favor of Guyana was announced in September 2007.

Crime

In 1993, Guyana ratified the 1988 Vienna Convention on illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and cooperates with US law enforcement agencies on counter-narcotics efforts. Guyana is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military (as covered under Article 98).

Guyana has been considered a transshipment point for narcotics from South America, primarily Venezuela, to Europe and the United States and producer of cannabis.

Relations by country

List

List of countries which Guyana maintains diplomatic relations with:

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! colspan="3" |frameless|425x425px

!Country

!Date

|Unknown

|10

|11

|12

|13

|14

|15

|16

|17

|18

|19

|20

|21

|22

|23

|24

|25

|26

|27

|28

|29

|30

|31

|32

|33

|34

|35

|36

|37

|38

|39

|40

|41

|42

|43

|44

|45

|46

|47

|48

|49

|50

|51

|52

|53

|54

|55

|56

|57

|58

|59

|60

|61

|62

|63

|64

|65

|66

|67

|68

|69

|70

|71

|72

|73

|74

|75

|76

|77

|78

|79

|80

|81

|82

|83

|84

|85

|86

|87

|88

|89

|90

|91

|92

|93

|94

|95

|96

|97

|98

|99

|100

|101

|102

|103

|104

|105

|106

|107

|108

|109

|110

|111

|112

|113

|114

|115

|116

|—

|117

|118

|119

|—

|120

|121

|122

|123

|124

|125

|126

|127

|128

|129

|130

|131

|132

|133

|134

|135

|136

|137

|138

|139

|140

|141

|—

|142

|—

|143

|144

|145

|147

|149

|150

Both countries are full members of Commonwealth of Nations.

|- valign="top"

|||1994||

Both countries have established diplomatic relations on 13 December 1994.

Guyana and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic maintained diplomatic relations between 28 September 2012 and November 2020.

|- valign="top"

|||4 November 1994||

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 4 November 1994.
South Africa is represented in Guyana through its High Commission in Kingston, Jamaica.
Argentina has an embassy in Georgetown, Guyana.
Both countries are full members of Organization of American States and Union of South American Nations.

|- valign="top"

|||||See Barbados–Guyana relations

The relations between Guyana and Barbados had its genesis to a time when both Guyana (then British Guiana) and Barbados were both British colonies. Shortly after Great Britain secured British Guiana from the Dutch, waves of migrants were encouraged to move and settle in Guyana. Barbados was one such location where large numbers of migrants came from. Through time Barbados and Guyana have both supported each other. With the move towards independence in the region Guyana was seen as the breadbasket of the wider Caribbean which led to yet more waves of Barbadians seeking to move to Guyana for better opportunities.

Relations have been rocky, during the 1990s, immigration became contentious for Guyanese persons to Barbados. Such terms as the "Guyanese bench" in the immigration area of the Barbados Sir Grantley Adams International Airport have tested both states at times. The two nations continue their cooperation through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and work towards building and maintaining good relations between their nationals. Both nations also attempt to maintain open communications at high levels of both Governments.

More recently the Guyanese Government has extended an offer to Barbadians. The Guyanese government has offered to put in place an economically favourable regime towards any Barbadians that wish to relocate to Guyana and contribute towards that nation's goals in agricultural investment. The announcement was made in the final days of the Owen Arthur administration by MP member Mia Mottley.

In the early 1990s the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning pitched an initiative for Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago to enter into some form of political union or political association. This initiative was short lived and didn't proceed following the Democratic Labour Party's defeat during the 1994 elections.

|- valign="top"

|||1981||See Belize–Guyana relations

Belize has a high commission in Georgetown.
Guyana is accredited to Belize from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Georgetown and maintains an honorary consulate in Belize City.

|- valign="top"

|||||See Brazil–Guyana relations

Brazil–Guyana relations have traditionally been close. Brazil has provided military assistance to Guyana in the form of war fare training and logistics. Bilateral relations between the countries have recently increased, as a result of Brazil's new South-South foreign policy aimed to strengthen South American integration.

During a state visit by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Georgetown on 2 March 2007, the governments of Guyana and Brazil signed several cooperation agreements and announced plans to boost trade between the two countries.

|- valign="top"

|||||

Canada started relations with Guyana in 1964 with the construction of the Commission of Canada in Georgetown. In 1966 it became a Canadian High Commission. There is a Guyanese High Commission in Ottawa and a Guyanese Consulate in Toronto.

Canada and Guyana have strong ties through the Commonwealth of Nations. There is an estimated 200,000 Guyanese living in Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Guyanese police work closely to help with drug, and human smuggling.

Guyana's largest import from Canada is machinery (CAD $13 mil), and export is precious metals (CAD$482 mil). Food exports generally cater to Canada's Guyanese diaspora population.

|- valign="top"

|||3 November 1978||

Dominica and Guyana have established diplomatic relations on 3 November 1978.

Guyana has a High Commission in Roseau.

|- valign="top"

|||1 March 1973||See Guyana–Mexico relations

Guyana is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States.
Mexico has an embassy in Georgetown.

|- valign="top"

|||25 November 1975||See Guyana–Suriname relations

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 25 November 1975.

|- valign="top"

|||1985||

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 3 June 1985.

Asia

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; margin:auto;"

! style="width:15%;"| Country

! style="width:12%;"| Formal Relations Began

!Notes

|- valign="top"

|||||

See China–Guyana relations

Bilateral relations are good and progress on the economic side. In 2022 exports from Guyana to China reached sum $1 billion. Currently Chinese state owned companies are working to construct the largest bridge in Guyana which will span the Demerara River. Trade between the two nations has grown significantly, rising from $180 million in 2013 to $1.4 billion in 2024. However, China recently expressed displeasure with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali’s stance during U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit, reaffirming its commitment to China-Guyana friendship.

The cooperation between the two countries in sharing developmental experience is mainly routed through Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) under which forty scholarships are granted every year in various courses. Besides, some experts are also deputed to Guyana from time to time on request in specified areas of activity. Several other scholarships are also available to Guyanese to pursue long-term courses, to get acquainted with India and to learn Hindi language in India.

India has offered credit facilities to Guyana for use in mutually accepted designated fields, agriculture and information technology, being two of these. Indian companies have also expressed interest in bio fuel, energy, minerals and pharmaceuticals. Total trade turn over remains low, though the trend is positive.

Indian Cultural Centre in Georgetown was established in 1972 with the objective of strengthening cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and Guyana and their peoples. The Centre runs regular classes in Yoga and Dance (Kathak). The centre has a well equipped Auditorium where cultural events are organised on a regular basis. The teachers and students of ICC participate in events by the local community on various occasions round the year. The centre has a library with books/publications on history, literature, art, culture, mythology and works of eminent scholars and authors.

An important cultural connection between India and Guyana is cricket. With the advent of the Indian Premier League, many Guyanese players were contracted to play in India.

Europe

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; margin:auto;"

! style="width:15%;"| Country

! style="width:12%;"| Formal Relations Began

!Notes

|- valign="top"

|||25 February 2003||

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 25 February 2003.
Croatia is represented in Guyana through its Permanent Mission in New York City.

|- valign="top"

|||11 May 2011||

Both countries established diplomatic relation on 11 May 2011.
Cyprus is represented in Guyana by its embassy in Brasília, Brazil.
Both countries are full members of Commonwealth of Nations.

|- valign="top"

|||16 November 1979||

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 16 November 1979.
Guyana is represented in Denmark, through its embassy in Brussels.

|- valign="top"

|||1979||

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 2 April 1979.
France has an honorary consulate in Guyana.
Both countries have passed a number of bilateral treaties.

|- valign="top"

|||1966||See: Germany–Guyana relations

Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1966.
Germany is represented in Guyana through its embassy in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

|- valign="top"

|||23 April 2012||

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 23 April 2012.
Bilateral political consultations between the Foreign Agencies cooperation is ongoing between both countries in political, legal, cultural, trade and economic relations. Cooperation concerning the academic exchanges is successfully implemented.
Greece has provided Guyana with development aid in the past.
Netherlands is represented in Guyana by its embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname
Suriname is represented in the Netherlands by its embassy in Brussels, Belgium

|- valign="top"

|||17 December 1970||See Guyana–Russia relations

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 17 December 1970.
Guyana is represented in Russia by its High Commission in London, United Kingdom.
Russia is represented in Guyana by its embassy in Georgetown, Guyana.

|- valign="top"

|||5 November 1968||

Both countries established diplomatic relations on 5 November 1968.
Serbia is represented in Guyana through its embassy in Washington, D.C.

|- valign="top"

|||26 May 1966||See Guyana–United Kingdom relations

thumb|right|[[President of Guyana|Guyanese President Irfaan Ali with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a Commonwealth summit in Apia, October 2024.]]

Guyana established diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom on the 26 May 1966.

Guyana maintains a high commission in London.

The UK governed Guyana from 1803 to 1966, when Guyana achieved full independence.

Both countries share common membership of the Atlantic Co-operation Pact, the Commonwealth, and the World Trade Organization, as well as the CARIFORUM–United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreement. Bilaterally the two countries have a Double Taxation Convention, and an Investment Agreement.

Oceania

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; margin:auto;"

! style="width:15%;"| Country

! style="width:12%;"| Formal Relations Began

!Notes

|- valign="top"

|||||

Australia is represented in Guyana through its embassy in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Both countries are members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Foreign relations of Guyana

Regional relations

International disputes

Crime

Relations by country

List

Asia

Europe

Oceania

See also

References and notes