The commitment to strengthen mutually beneficial relations between Guyana and
the Kingdom of the Netherlands was underscored when Ambassador David Hales
presented his Letter of Credence to King Willem-Alexander, on Wednesday December 20, 2017, at Noordeinde Palace in the Hague.
Ambassador Hales, who is Guyana’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, has been
accredited as a non-Resident Ambassador to the Netherlands. He succeeded former
Ambassador P.I. Gomes.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prominent in the discussion between the Dutch Monarch and Ambassador Hales was the impact of Climate Change on the Caribbean, including the Dutch Territories, particularly the devastation caused by the passage of hurricanes Maria and Irma during the 2017 hurricane season in the Atlantic.
The King had visited the affected Dutch islands immediately after the passage of hurricane Maria to get a first-hand appreciation of the damage caused.
To this end, Ambassador Hales expressed deep appreciation of the Government of
Guyana to the commitment by the Netherlands of US $702 million for disaster
preparedness and relief efforts at the CARICOM UN High Level Pledging Conference
that took place earlier in December at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The exchange, according to the statement, also touched on the involvement of the Netherlands in designing a model of an effective and efficient drainage system for the city of Georgetown and the involvement of Dutch businesses in Guyana’s new oil and gas sector.
Moreover, the release said that King Willem-Alexander also showed great interest in the current status of the Good Office process under the aegis of the United Nations Secretary General regarding the Guyana, Venezuela border controversy.
Ambassador Hales also held discussions with the Deputy Director, Western
Hemisphere Department, Director, Multilateral Organisations and Human Rights
Department and other top level officials of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two countries established diplomatic relations on May 15, 1970.
