The Republic of the Philippines, a country in Southeast Asia, is seeking to enter into a visa waiver agreement with Guyana.
This was conveyed by newly accredited non-resident Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to Guyana Mario Chan.
Guyana’s President Dr Irfaan Ali today accepted the Letters of Credence from His Excellency Chan during a simple ceremony at the Office of the President that was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hugh Todd and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Elisabeth Harper.
“To further enhance people-to-people exchange within the Philippines and Guyana, I wish to propose consideration of a visa waiver agreement between the Philippines and Guyana governing holders of diplomatic and official passports,” Ambassador Chan expressed, noting that it would allow for freer travel and ultimately, deeper cooperation between the two countries.
“This waiver may be explored to expand to holders of ordinary passport,” he added, noting that this would be especially important as the two nations seek to advance cooperation in areas of tourism, manufacturing and agriculture.
President Ali has since assured that Guyana will consider the proposal. “We’ll examine your government’s proposal for the conclusion of a partial visa waiver agreement for travel between Guyana and the Philippines,” he noted.
Meanwhile, during the ceremony, President Ali noted that the two countries share many ideals which provide the scope for enhanced bilateral relations in key areas.
Philippines, island country of Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. It is an archipelago consisting of more than 7,000 islands and islets lying about 500 miles (800 km) off the coast of Vietnam. Manila is the capital, but nearby Quezon City is the country’s most-populous city. Both are part of the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), located on Luzon, the largest island. The second largest island of the Philippines is Mindanao, in the southeast.
