In a special interview held at State House Friday with Dwayne Fowler from GTV-11, President Jagdeo said he would be speaking with RUSA, which is the second largest aluminum company in the world.

President Jagdeo is leading a delegation which left for Moscow on Friday to attend the World Forum on graduates from Russian institutions. He is accompanied by his Political Advisor, Mr. Kellawan Lall, Senior Agricultural Officer, Mr. Joseph Mc Allister and acting Director of Regional Medical Services, Dr. Beri Ramsarran, who are all graduates of training programmes in the former United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). The team returns on May 18.

According to the Government Information Agency (GINA) members of the team plan to visit their various alma maters. The local team will also participate in a forum to be addressed by President of the Russian Republic, Mr. Vladimir Putin.

“We are very interested in getting them (RUSA) to invest in Guyana, especially in the Berbice River. We had some restructuring there with the mines when ALCOA left the country. We still have difficulties in securing markets. Even now our people are locked in negotiations whilst we are getting an order for the quantity. The price is not very good. But what will be the long-term development to bring stability to that area, is investment,” the President said.

He added: “We are talking to RUSA to see if we can interest them to invest here. They came here and did a preliminary investment and we think there may be some possibility. Not only in bauxite operation but going up stream.” He urged that value added factor is very important and it will make a big difference to the bauxite industry if RUSA comes to Guyana.

“I was hoping to go to the Ukraine because we have an import tariff on our bauxite in that country which makes our bauxite not very competitive. We have been in contact with the Ukrainian Government to see if the tariffs can be removed, so that our bauxite can be much more competitive in that market,” Mr. Jagdeo said.

The President added: “I am looking forward to seeing some of my friends. Sometimes I meet my friends. I have one in Guadeloupe, a lot in Jamaica, Suriname, Africa and I also met one from Mexico recently. It is quite interesting and I do hope I see some of them to find out what is going on in their lives.”

In 1984 President Jagdeo went to Moscow on a scholarship and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Economics. On returning to Guyana in 1990, he served as an Economist in the State Planning Secretariat. After the General Election in 1992, he was appointed as Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance. About a year later, he was appointed a Junior Minister of Finance and in May 1995 he was promoted to the position of Senior Minister of Finance.