THE current visit to Brazil by some 70 businessmen drawn from around the country is as significant as next week's visit to Suriname by President Bharrat Jagdeo, in terms of building bridges with Guyana's neighbours.

Mr. Jagdeo and Suriname President Ronald Venetiaan met during the historic summit of Presidents of South America hosted in the Brazil capital Brasilia in August-September 2000 and pledged to work towards closer ties between their countries.

The focus of that Brasilia summit was forging closer trade and other ties among the 12 countries on the continent and there was a conscious decision among organisers to ensure that Guyana and Suriname - which had not been integrally involved before in the integration process - would have been more in the picture from then on.

Since the summit, there have been several follow-up meetings on issues like transport links and Guyana and Brazil have moved steadily to shore up their relations.

Work has started on the key bridge across the border Takutu River which will be a major link in the Guyana-Brazil road.

In August last year, Guyana and Brazil also signed the Partial Scope Agreement making it possible for a number of products to be exported free of duty to Brazil, including fruits and vegetables, plywood and furniture.

On the import side, the Brazilian product list attracts either 50-100 per cent tariff reduction on a range of products, including machinery and parts.

The visit by what is believed to be the largest ever group of local business people to Brazil at this time is therefore to be seen as another plank in the `bridge-building' process between the two countries.

The people-to-people contacts are already strong between Guyana and Brazil, Suriname and Venezuela and it is important for the authorities in all the countries to follow through on steps that will shore up these ties.

Leaders of the local group see the mission to Brazil as a major bid to expand trade between the two neighbours.

Brazilian Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Ney Do Prado Dieguez, is happy that local businessmen have taken up the challenge he threw out last August to cross the border aggressively and pursue the Brazilian market of some 170 million people.

As the team was leaving Monday night, he said the trip to Brazil was important because it was an initiative totally of the private sector.

Mission leader and President of the National Association of Regional Chambers of Commerce (NARCC), Mr. Ramdial Bhookmohan says the NARCC is also making arrangements for similar visits to Venezuela and Suriname this year.

We wish the mission by the businessmen every success because initiatives like these are the follow-through contacts that would really fortify the bridge-building process among the neighbours to redound to the benefit of all their peoples.