He gave the assurance while addressing the gathering at the Amerindian Heritage Day celebrations at St Ignatius, which was designated Amerindian Heritage Village.

President Jagdeo, who noted too that Guyana needs such links with Brazil, as well as other foreign countries, for developmental purposes, contended that no other country in the world could survive on its own without linkages with other nations.

He also recalled his recent visit to the neighbouring country, where it included talks with the Brazilian President and the signing of agreements between Guyana and Brazil with regard to agriculture, education, tourism and the development of a road between the State of Roraima, Brazil and Guyana.

President Jagdeo acknowledged the concerns by Amerindians in the Region about such agreements, in particular the road; whether security measures will be put in place and the fact that their culture and land could be destroyed by an influx of Brazilian migrants.

But he remarked “I’d say to you that all of these things we have to work on, to put in place systems that would safeguard our security, would have to safeguard our culture, that our people have to be respected but we cannot ‘not develop’, because Amerindians need jobs too.”

In emphasizing that Amerindians need to become the new entrepreneurs and development has to take place to allow for this to occur, the President reiterated that the road will not be one in which goods are just transported to Georgetown.

President Jagdeo reminded the Amerindians and coastland visitors present that integration was established some time ago, as Guyanese work in Brazil and even know the language and music of that country which is located just over the Takatu River.

And according to him, industries will be created in the Region to the extent that people may not even have to travel to Georgetown, in some cases.

Wednesday’s gathering at St Ignatius was considered to the largest since the inauguration of the annual in 1995,.