Granger promises to adopt more robust foreign policy

Granger believes the current policy is weak. He is promising to adopt a robust stance in this regard.

Granger promises to adopt more robust foreign policy

The Presidential Candidate for the APNU+AFC Coalition has marked his dissatisfaction with the Foreign Policy approach that has been adopted by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration over the last 23 years.

Granger believes the current policy is weak. He is promising to adopt a robust stance in this regard.

This is not the first time that the retired Brigadier has publicly announced his displeasure with the PPP/C’s Foreign Policy but in the past, he has signaled support for some of the steps taken by the administration to protect Guyana’s territorial sovereignty.

During an appearance on the Hard Talk radio programme, the Presidential Candidate opined that Guyana still has “room for more robust diplomacy.”

According to him, the current strategies employed by the PPP/C government to address issues such as Guyana’s territorial dispute with neighbouring Venezuela, leaves much to be desired.

“It is weak” said Granger when grilled on the issue by Host Chris Chapwanya, proceeding to indicate that the United Nations has other mechanisms in place that the government could have used to resolve issues of territory with Venezuela.

“I supported the Government of Guyana in disputes that have occurred from October 2013…when a Venezuelan naval craft expelled an unarmed civilian vessel from our water…I do not believe that the government’s response was robust enough,” said Granger.

He said that that while there were other options open to pursue the infraction on the part of the Venezuelans, the administration seemed content to depend on a promise from the country and that promise withered away without any tangible resolution.

“The promises of a negotiation which were offered to the Foreign Minister were allowed to lapse,” said Granger.

With respect to the many complaints of Guyanese being treated unfairly at the ports of entries of some Caricom countries, the Presidential hopeful said that Guyana needs a Foreign Affairs Minister who is more concerned about the issue of regional integration.

He said that in the past, “when matters arose they were more quickly settled” adding that he is “dissatisfied with the level of representation the Caribbean Community in the PPP/C administration.”

Just recently, Venezuela has been objecting to the presence of an american oil rig in Guyana’s territorial waters.

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