The Guyana Government is currently in talks with the Government of India to procure patrolling vessels and a Dornier aircraft with the aim of exercising greater sovereignty over the country’s maritime boundaries.
This was revealed during a recent visit by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo to India last week.
In an interview with New Delhi-based Indian multinational news channel, WION, VP Jagdeo explained that Guyana is looking at a number of ways to enhance the country’s defence capabilities. He pointed out that this move is “mainly for peaceful purposes… we’re not looking to fight a war.”
According to the Vice President, the Guyana Government wants to strengthen its capacity and is turning to India’s vast defence capabilities for assistance in this regard.
“We’re looking to buy some of that capability to assist us with the task of exercising greater sovereignty over maritime boundaries or exclusive economic zones. We have major leakages there from illegal fishing, and now that our oil and gas industry is braced primarily offshore. We have to protect those assets. Similarly, air capability would allow us to better serve people who live in the vast hinterland of the country where there are small communities so that’s why we want to work in that sector, too,” Jagdeo stated.
He noted that discussions with the key stakeholders on advancing this deal have already commenced, adding that Guyana is hoping to wrap up some arrangements very soon.
The idea of Guyana acquiring aircraft from India was first raised back in January 2023 when President Dr Irfaan Ali visited the Asian nation, where he toured Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company – Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), in Kanpur and inspected their CG-767 Indian Coast Guard 18-seater Dornier aircraft. The Guyanese leader was also given a presentation on the company’s capacity and capabilities.
According to reports coming out of that visit, President Ali indicated interest in purchasing two of the India-manufactured Dornier 228 aircraft for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), which has an aged fleet.
The Times of India had reported that the country’s Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Rakesh Sachan, had stated that the Guyanese Head of State had agreed to purchase two of the aircraft.
“The President has liked the 18-seater aircraft more… He has made a draft to process its purchase within a week,” the Indian Minister had said after January 13 visit.
In fact, during an interview with reporters in New Delhi last week, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa indicated that these discussions are progressing.
“Discussions are underway on [the purchase of Dornier aircraft from HAL] as we speak. At the same time, technical teams are working on them. And we are working on the interest by the Guyanese side to purchase fast patrol vessels for their Coast Guards… with various companies,” Dr Srinivasa noted.
Dubbed as Guyana’s first major defence deal with India, this move to procure defence assets from the Asian Government comes on the heels of the Irfaan Ali-led Administration taking significant steps to modernise the GDF with the acquisition of new equipment and supplies as well as capacity building.
India and Guyana have already established strong defence cooperation with several GDF members undergoing various levels of training with the Indian military.
As a matter of fact, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess attended the Aero India Defence Exhibition and seminar hosted by the Indian Government in Bengaluru earlier this month.
While there, Brigadier Bess also had an interview with WION during which he said that over the last two years, there has been a lot of training, building human capacity, and collaborating with the militaries of both countries.
“We plan to increase that collaboration so that we can continue to prepare our Defence Force for greater things, particularly since Guyana has been known to be the fastest-growing economy. We have ensured there is a conducive environment for investors and the people of Guyana. We do recognise we need to build capacity and capabilities regarding defence and security and we do see India as a very strategic partner in this regard,” the GDF Head stated.
He further told the Indian news channel that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is in the works to be signed between Guyana and India which will foster their defence cooperation.
“Presently, we are looking at the proposal, as it relates to air assets and naval assets for our country and for sure, as we continue to collaborate, having gone around the exhibition over the last two days, there are a lot of other assets and capabilities that Guyana will be interested [in acquiring from India],” he noted.
However, Brigadier Bess disclosed that at the initial stage, Guyana’s focus will be on building its air asset capacity in order to move its troops across the country as well as to assist with disaster-related activities. He contended that the Dornier aircraft is “actually suiting the capability we would like to have”.
According to reports, the Dornier 228 planes are being used by India’s Coast Guard to support maritime patrols but they can also be used for marine pollution contingency, search and rescue and medical evacuation.
