Ambassador Safraaz Ahmad Shadood
Doha, Qatar: The Ambassador of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to Qatar, H E Safraaz Ahmad Shadood, has disclosed that his country places a ‘premium’ on its relationship with Qatar.
In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula, Ambassador Shadood said the recent exchange of visits between Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the President of Guyana, H E Dr. Mohammad Irfan Ali, speaks to the “will of the two leaders to push the relationship forward.”
“When the president got into office in 2020, he immediately set about chartering relations, ensuring that we maximize our presence worldwide, but he placed a premium on Guyana’s relationship with Qatar,” Ambassador Shadood said.
The envoy said in the early days of Dr. Ali’s presidency, conversations with the Amir saw both countries partner to combat the coronavirus, the supply of equipment of a mobile hospital to Guyana, and an invitation to establish a Guyana embassy in Doha.
Further cementing the relationship, President Dr. Ali visited Qatar in May this year, quickly followed by a historic trip by the Amir to Guyana in Septemeber, marking the first state visit by an Arab leader to the tiny South American country – a feat the envoy said would spur regional interest in Guyana.
“The visit of the President and then His Highness, I believe, speaks to the will of the two leaders to push the relationship forward. To put the accelerator down and ensure that the relationship is solidified and concretized for the benefit of both nations, I believe that is what we are seeing here today.
“We have two visionary, dynamic, futuristic thinking leaders whose ideas coincide and merge for the betterment of both countries. I believe that countries in this region now look at what Qatar did and why Qatar went to Guyana. That curiosity will lead to perhaps an exploratory visit from these countries to see what really is happening here,” he added.
During the visit, both countries signed three agreements, including economic and technical cooperation, protection of investments and a memorandum of understanding on legal procedures. According to Ambassador Shadood, discussions are ongoing around energy, agriculture, food security, and the extractive sector — gold and diamond mining.
Meanwhile, the envoy also noted that his country can learn from Qatar’s meteoric development route. He stressed that Qatar’s journey to becoming a global player in the energy sector, a global mediator and sporting capital is a phenomenal success.
“Guyana is now traversing that path, and experiences can be shared,” he added, with his country now one of the world’s largest shares of oil per capita and poised to become the world’s fourth-largest offshore oil producer.
On the investment front, Shadood said the South American nation presents a fertile ground for businesses beyond oil and gas.
With a population of about 800,000 people, Guyana’s economy is projected to grow 38% by the end of the year, according to recent gross domestic forecasts by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
“We have the investment prospects in Guyana right now — it’s second to none. Besides oil and gas, all the opportunities are available, especially in agriculture and food security, and we are big on climate security. Guyana is set to become a leader in food security. By 2025, we will reduce our food import bill by 25% and become a net exporter of food within the CARICOM region.
“We have arable land, and freshwater is readily available. Our tourism product is quite unique – there’s the Amazon, waterfalls, rainforests, and mountains, and we have 365 islands. All of these things, you know, it’s that that is what makes Guyana an attractive destination,” he added.
