Cooperation key in Guyana, Brazil military operations

Continued cooperation between Guyana and Brazil is the key to combating all challenges facing the two countries’ military operations, Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Commodore, Gary Best has said. Best, was at the time speaking at the opening of the 6th Bilateral Staff Conference between local and Brazilian Military officials at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown.

According to him, Guyana’s relationship with the Brazilian military has yielded many benefits as “our militaries are being asked more and more to provide integrated development services to the people of Guyana and Brazil.” He added that despite strengthened cooperation with the two countries, there are many challenges. “We are meeting at a time when the world appears to be facing serious challenges in keeping commodities, food and energy prices low enough to enable wealth to this generation and human security,” the GDF chief said.

Best stressed the need for there to be more vigilance on the part of both military teams. “No doubt these new missions bring new challenges; today our militaries must be more vigilant in protecting common patrimonies such as the Amazon rainforest which hosts huge bio-diversity species and is a significant part of the human lungs.” Additionally, the local Army’s head said the conference is being held at a time when “the relations between Guyana and Brazil are perhaps at the highest levels, it also occurs at a time when both economies are experiencing growth, though I do admit that yours is of a greater proportion.” He noted that as a result of the growing challenges and the demands facing both countries, the militaries are being asked to provide integrated development services to the people of Guyana and Brazil. “As our continent develops, our militaries must enable infrastructure connectivity’s in South America through its skills inventory.

Today our militaries must work together to enable peace building through mechanisms such as the Union of South America and its respective defence councils.” Best stated that it is because of the growing areas of human concern that both militaries are given opportunities to develop and implement joint activities to combat challenges.

“I believe that the two militaries are in good standing to continue forging technical exchanges between our engineers, our border groups and at staff levels. Our military cooperation spans decades and I am confident that it will continue for decades,” the chief of staff stated.

He said the meeting between the two countries is geared at increasing cooperation. Cooperation, Best said is being pushed through the Defence Cooperation Agreement signed between the two countries, “there is great scope for our two militaries to develop within the context of defence and cooperation.

Higher links

Meanwhile, Major General of the Brazilian Army Luiz Paul Cruz said the purpose of having such a conference is to “establish higher links between the Brazilian Army and the GDF… We are doing that knowing each other and working together to extend our cooperation as you just heard in terms of technical cooperation-engineering and different courses and also our borders to which we share.” He, like Best, said the rising challenges affecting South American countries must be addressed with much collectivity and collaboration.

The major general added that both countries (Guyana and Brazil) have a responsibility to ensure that they work together to guarantee that the South American Bloc is secure.

“There are various challenges at the Amazon region and we are responsible for our — wealth and this responsibility requires us to act in an integrated form to correspond to challenges and obligations that we have in our countries, neighbours friends… The best way of doing that is to work together and participate at all forums in South America, to prove that we are very able to defend and protect our countries and the wealth that both have,” Luiz Paul Cruz said.