President sees scope for more dynamic Venezuela relationship
The frequency of the contacts and interaction at various levels of the two societies, is an indication of the willingness of Guyana and Venezuela to work together, irrespective of the border controversy between the two. This is the view Venezuela's ambassador to Guyana, Hector Azocar, expressed, when he toasted among other things, the personal well- being of President Janet Jagan, and the deepening of the relations between Guyana and Venezuela, at the reception he hosted on Tuesday, to mark Venezuela's National Day. And his sentiments were echoed by President Jagan in her reply, when she that said that the experiences of these contacts "have undoubtedly helped to create a climate of mutual confidence and trust in which we can continue, in a concrete way, to build bridges of cooperation between all sectors of our societies, while we continue to work together to find a permanent solution to our differences." And both President Jagan and Ambassador Azocar expressed the hope that the upcoming meeting with Venezuela's president, Raphael Caldera, would strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries. Indicative of Venezuela's assistance to Guyana, Ambassador Azocar said was the construction of more than 200 houses at Melanie Damishana, Uitvlugt and in Berbice, financed by the Venezuelan Investment Fund; the provision of lubricants and oils to the Elections Commission and the humanitarian assistance to the Civil Defence Commission to alleviate the effects caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon. Acknowledging the assistance provided by Venezuela, President Jagan, however, explained that she believed "that there is scope for us to build an even more dynamic relationship." Consequently, she urged "the early reconvening of meetings of the various technical groups under the Guyana-Venezuela joint commission, to exchange ideas on ways of invigorating our current bilateral relations, and to agree on a new mechanism in order to further strengthen and expand the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two countries." President Jagan also expressed appreciation for Venezuela's assistance in helping to improve Spanish language skills in Guyana. Ambassador Azocar said that the ongoing programmes of the teaching of the Spanish language, and the sponsorship of exhibitions of sculptures and paintings were "expressions of the importance we attach to the cultural exchange as a way of bettering the knowledge between our two countries." Commenting on the recent agreement signed by the two major political parties here, Azocar said that the "St Lucia Statement is an example of how important dialogue is in the search of solutions." "We firmly believe that an honest and frank dialogue will be the key to a peaceful solution for all the citizens of this `land of many waters', the Venezuelan envoy observed, adding that "for Venezuela, the peace of our neighbours is also our own peace." For her part, President Jagan said that "my government is committed to the implementation of the measures of the Herdmanston Accord and, more recently, the St Lucia Accord." "These moves to promote political stability in Guyana, are positive developments that augur well for the economic growth and prosperity in our homeland," she added. 
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