Argentina providing assistance in security, health, other areas

Last Updated on Saturday, 9 July 2016, 22:47 by Denis Chabrol

Argentina is providing assistance to Guyana in a range of areas including law enforcement, military, health, culture ad sport, Argentina’s Ambassador to Guyana, Luis Alberto Martino announced Saturday night.

Speaking at a reception to mark Argentina’s 200^th Independence Anniversary, he said the two countries were examining a project on public security to deal with a range of issues such as  criminology, forensic studies, environment, piracy, fishing and anti-smuggling and forensic medicine.

“The proposed package is now under review of the different agencies in Argentina so that we can draft the plan on the way forward,” he said at the event attended by several diplomats stationed here and senior politicians including President David Granger and former President, Donald Ramotar.

The Argentine envoy also announced that Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Sub-Lieutenant, Carlos Moore, who is a graduate of the Col. Ulric Pilgrim Cadet School, would be boarding Argentina’s Naval School Ship, “Fragata Libertad,” “to share  experiences and knowledge in the high seas with the more than 200 young Argentine candidates for graduation from the Naval Military College.”

Martino said Moore would board the vessel on October 19, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro since the vessel has already set sail on its three-month voyage around the world.

Argentina recently expanded its embassy in Guyana with the opening of a new Defence Attache’s office whose first head is Air Force Commodore, Ariel Lescano

In the area of health, the Argentine Ambassador said experts from his country were continuing their assessment and capacity-building visits aimed at improving blood services and drafting future courses of action for improving blood safety in Guyana.

Three Guyanese experts are expected to visit Argentina in late August to follow up on work done by hematology experts from that sister South American country who had visited Guyana in October and November, 2015. Another round of exchange visits is planned for 2017 as part of a final assessment.

Also announced was a project to restore about 45 piece of art that are part of the National Collection- “Guyanese cultural patrimony”- at the National Gallery. “To make this happen, we are attempting to put together a plan with experts in restoration of art works from colonial times at the National University of San Martin in Buenos Aires in coordination with institutions,”  Martino added.

Argentina and Guyana, he said, were having a “lively discussion” on a joint effort between the Ministry of Sport and the Guyana Olympic Association to bring to Guyana a rugby coach from Argentina “for an intensive training of Guyana’s national team, the “Green Machine,” in preparation for the final  Rugby Americas North Championship slated for July in  Mexico City.

Argentina decided to re-open an embassy in 2011.