He made the declaration in response to an Accreditation Speech made by Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey Mr. Metin Goker who was accredited Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Guyana.

The simple ceremony took place at the Office of the President, a Government Information Agency (GINA) release stated.

According to Prime Minister Hinds, Guyana holds participation in Regional integration bodies and multilateral institutions in the highest regard, and it is for this reason that Guyana anticipates Turkey's early accession to the European Union (EU), a movement with which the country has traditionally maintained very close ties."

He said that both countries must persevere to ensure that the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter be promoted.

Asserting that Guyana and Turkey have shared amicable relations in the past and have enjoyed a fruitful relationship, Mr. Hinds said, “I believe that it is the spirit of cooperation that has characterised our interaction at the multilateral level that must now be harnessed to vitalise our bilateral relations. I welcome therefore, in this regard, the desire you have expressed for the formulation of a more robust programme of economic and social cooperation between Guyana and Turkey.”

Ambassador Goker's accreditation beckons the prospect of the inauguration of another, more intense phase in the relations between the two countries, which is “premised on the increasing trend of cooperation disparate countries and peoples and Regions, for mutual benefit and globalised circumstances in which we now operate and the lessons of our many years of cooperation, Mr. Hinds said.

And according to him, the challenges that developing countries are facing at present have been immensely intensified and diversified hence, the task of achieving their goal has become an arduous one.

Among the challenges are the removal of preferential trade arrangements, which have greatly exposed the vulnerabilities of small economies, new security concerns and social problems which have all affected growth and continued progress.

"Clearly the resources and the capacities we have possess and our shared perspective on mainly international issues, suggest prudence in strengthening our regime of cooperation, Prime Minister Hinds said.

He added that in Guyana there remains considerable untapped potential for trade and economic collaboration, particularly through joint ventures involving both the private and public sector in mining, agro- industry and eco-tourism.

The latter is of significant importance to Turkey, since it is a larger revenue earner for the country.

"Collaboration in these and other spheres can do much therefore, to assist in realising the common ends of our fraternal relations" Prime Minister Hinds told Ambasador Goker.

But he pointed out that achieving maximum benefits for the bilateral engagement would come from recognition of the primacy of human development in sustained overall nation growth and development.