France is moving to establish a local office of the French Embassy in Guyana in September 2023, as it works to strengthen relations between the two countries.
This was revealed on Wednesday by the non-resident French Ambassador to Guyana, Nicolas de Lacoste, during an exclusive interview with this publication.
“We have decided to step up our diplomatic presence in Georgetown. We’ll have a full-fledged French diplomat…based in Georgetown, making sure that all the different fields of cooperation that we have identified, that we are deepening them,” Ambassador de Lacoste explained.
“It’s not a full-fledged embassy…but it’s an office.”
Currently, the Embassy of France to Guyana and Suriname is located in Paramaribo, with the ambassador being stationed in the neighbouring Dutch-speaking country.
In December last year, President Dr Irfaan Ali accepted letters of credence from de Lacoste, accrediting him as the new non-resident Ambassador of France to Guyana. According to the Ambassador, during that ceremony, President Ali engaged him on the issue of visa free travel between the two countries.
Guyanese wishing to travel to France presently need to have their visa applications processed in Suriname.
But de Lacoste noted with an office in Georgetown, the processing of visa applications will now be more convenient for locals.
However, on the topic of visa free travel, the Ambassador noted that the matter is still being examined.
There are roughly 50 French persons residing in Guyana but the size of the Guyanese diaspora in France is not immediately known. The two countries established formal diplomatic relations on June 22, 1967.
Ambassador de Lacoste hopes that with a permanent diplomat here, the two countries can foster stronger ties in a number of areas, including culture and business.
Since 2021, the French Embassy has had a resident representative in Guyana in the person of Pierre Gaté while Jean-Francois Gerin has been the French Honorary Consul resident in the country since 2019.
Meanwhile, France is not the only country seeking to deepen diplomatic ties with Guyana.
In fact, countries such as Guatemala, Colombia and the Dominican Republic have announced their intention to set up embassies here.
This was revealed earlier this year by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd.
