The commitment to strengthened mutually beneficial relations between Guyana and the Kingdom of the Netherlands was underscored when Ambassador David Hales presented his Letter of Credence to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander, on Wednesday December 20, 2017 at Noordeinde Palace in the Hague.
Ambassador Hales, who is Guyana’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, has been accredited as a non-Resident Ambassador to the Netherlands. He succeeded former Ambassador P.I. Gomes.
Prominent in the discussion between the Dutch Monarch and Ambassador Hales was the impact of Climate Change on the Caribbean, including the Dutch Territories, particularly the devastation caused by the passage of hurricanes Maria and Irma during the 2017 hurricane season in the Atlantic. The King visited the affected Dutch islands immediately after the passage of hurricane Maria to get a first-hand appreciation of the damage caused.
To this end, Ambassador Hales expressed deep appreciation of the Government of Guyana to the commitment by the Netherlands of USD$702 million for disaster preparedness and relief efforts at the CARICOM UN High Level Pledging Conference that took place earlier in December at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The exchange also touched on the involvement of the Netherlands in designing a model of an effective and efficient drainage system for the city of Georgetown and the involvement of Dutch businesses in Guyana’s new oil and gas sector.
King Willem-Alexander also showed great interest the current status of the Good Office process under the aegis of the United Nations Secretary General regarding the Guyana Venezuela border controversy.
Ambassador Hales also held discussions with the Deputy Director, Western Hemisphere Department, Director, Multilateral Organisations and Human Rights Department and other top level officials of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.