New EC Delegation Head: Guyana different from 'pictures of turmoil'

New EC Delegation Head: Guyana different from 'pictures of turmoil'

Guyana Chronicle
October 21, 2003

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AFTER two weeks on the job the new Head of Delegation for the European Commission to Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles says he is pleasantly surprised that Guyana is "in fact vastly different from the pictures of violence and turmoil that have been reported overseas."

Ambassador Per Eklund says that based on information available to him prior to his arrival in Guyana, he had expected a much more tense and volatile security situation.

So far his impressions of Guyana and its people are that they are "friendly, hardworking and want to progress."

Ambassador Eklund has spent seven years in the service of the European Union in Brussels, the last three years heading the unit responsible for the coordination of EU assistance to the former Soviet Union and the Balkans.

The new Head of Delegation is Swedish by birth and replaces former Head of Delegation, Ambassador Vincent de Visscher.

Mr. Eklund started his career with the European Commission in 1997. Prior to this, Mr. Eklund worked as a civil servant in Sweden in the education and research field. Mr. Eklund also spent some years in Copenhagen, Denmark, as a senior adviser in the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Ambassador Eklund presented his credentials of appointment to President Bharrat Jagdeo on October 8.

In his presentation, Mr. Eklund expressed deep appreciation of the long-standing and close cooperation between the Republic of Guyana and the European Commission. "I am very pleased to be here and I will do my utmost to strengthen yet further the constructive dialogue between the EC and Guyana. The major challenges ahead include support to regional integration and promotion of Guyana's economic, cultural and social development. I will also take the opportunity to explore Guyana's unique nature, flora and fauna and experience its cultural diversity."