Barbados–Guyana relations refers to the current and historical relationship between Barbados and

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

. The former maintains non-resident diplomatic representation from Bridgetown, while Guyana which prior had a High Commissioner to BarbadosPermanent Representatives of the Republic of Guyana to the United Nations
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Guyana to the United Nations. appointed its first resident Consul-General, Michael Brotherson to Bridgetown in January 2012.

General aspects

The relations between Guyana and Barbados began while both were part of the British Empire. Shortly after Great Britain secured (then

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

) from the Dutch, waves of migrants were encouraged to move and settle the new expansive area. Barbados was one such location where large numbers of migrants came from. Through time Barbados and Guyana have both supported each other. With the move towards independence in the region, Guyana was seen as the breadbasket of the wider-Caribbean which led to yet more waves of Barbadians seeking to move to Guyana for better opportunities. In 1991 Barbados and the Co-Operative Republic of Guyana attempted moves towards forming a tri-state confederation consisting of Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. The now late former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago,

Patrick Manning Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (17 August 1946 – 2 July 2016) was a Trinidadian politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; his terms ran from 17 December 1991 to 9 November 1995 and from 24 December 2001 to 26 M ...

pitched the initiative for the tri-state area to enter into some form of political union or political association. This initiative was short lived and did not proceed following the Democratic Labour Party's defeat during the

1994 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1994. Africa * 1994 Botswana general election * 1994 Guinea-Bissau general election * 1994 Malawian general election * 1994 Mozambican general election * 1994 Namibian general election * 1994 South Afr ...

. Relations became rocky due to immigration. Things became contentious for Guyanese persons to Barbados. The two nations continue their cooperation through the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and work towards building and maintaining good relations between their nationals. In 2012 the Consul-General of Guyana to Bridgetown remarked that immigration matters between Guyana and Barbados had substantially improved with no complaints since being attributed to Bridgetown. More recently the Guyanese Government has extended an offer to Barbadians. The Guyanese government has offered to put in place an economically favourable regime towards any Barbadians that wish to relocate to Guyana and contribute towards that nation's goals in agricultural investment. The announcement was made in the final days of the Owen Arthur administration by MP member Mia Motley. In 2004 both nations signed treaties to cooperate in the portion of overlapping international maritime boundary. In 2007 both nations formed the Barbados-Guyana Joint Commission, which was held in Guyana for its inaugural meeting. The third meeting of the Joint Commission met in Georgetown in May 2015. In 2013, trade between both nations was placed at US$25 million by the Consul-General of Guyana. both nations also explored an initiative of twinning in the hospitality and tourism sector as well as an arrangement for joint collaboration in the overlapping maritime EEZ between both nations. In 2016 Guyanese President, Granger presented Barbadian Prime Minister, Freundel Stuart with the second highest award of Guyana, the Order of Roraima.

Sports

Both countries are part of the multi-national West Indies cricket team, with several players from both countries representing the

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...

People

* Eddy Grant, a musician charged with creating the genre of Ringbang in Barbados. * Lionel Luckhoo, served concurrently as a joint High Commissioner of both Guyana and Barbados to the United Kingdom (1967 to 1970) * Dr. Samuel Rudolph Insanally, CCH Guyana's High Commissioner to Barbados (1982 to 1986) *

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

, international pop star born in Barbados of partial Guyanese parentage.

Notes

References

Rupturing an old friendship
By Rawle Lucas (10 July 2009), Stabroek News Guyana
Barbados Foreign Minister lauds Guyana – says country has a bright future
(22 October 2013), Guyana Chronicle

External links

Guyanese Association of Barbados Inc.
(GABI)
British Guiana Colonists
A registry of early immigrations to British Guiana {{DEFAULTSORT:Barbados-Guyana relations

Bilateral relations of Guyana