(A GINA feature) The year 2015 proved to be a challenging one for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Guyana was however, able to formulate its foreign policy position in a manner consistent with its interest.THE VENEZUELA THREATDuring the year, Venezuela’s challenge to Guyana’s territorial sovereignty heightened. This??saw a concerted diplomatic effort to counter the neighbouring country’s unjust moves of deliberately refusing to honour an international treaty, to which it is a party,Authentic Jerseys Cheap, and a decision which they accepted.In pursuit of garnering support internationally, extensive work was done with bilateral and multilateral partners during 2015. Additionally, the United Nations Secretary General was called upon to assist in resolving the border controversy.??As a result, a number of high – level meetings were held with representatives, both from Guyana and Venezuela which resulted on the embarking of a process which will see the Secretary General identifying an amicable means of going forward.??These are preliminary measures as Guyana has stated its explicit position, that is, to resort to the International Court of Justice as a means of definitively bringing to an end the border controversy which has plagued Guyana for far too long.STRENGTHENING THE MINISTRYThe year 2015 also saw efforts being made to strengthen the administrative arrangements within the Ministry. A number of persons who were qualified, and employed within the Ministry and who were not posted, such a situation was rectified This was done to ensure that each diplomat not only has the academic requirements, but also the professional experience needed to properly represent the ministry and by extension Guyana.CHANGING OF HEADS OF MISSIONSAnother aspect of strengthening the ministry’s administrative arrangements saw the process to change the Heads of Mission including the Consuls Generals being initiated. The process firstly seeks the identification of possible appointees and?Cabinet’s clearance on the candidates whilst simultaneously notifying the host country of the likely candidates and seeking clearance for them. This process can take up to three months just to vet, assuming that they are no added questions on the likely candidates.The Consul General has community obligations to attend and participate in a number of events involving Guyana and interfacing with opinion forming elements within the community such as Universities, Research Institutes, as well as Guyanese and Caribbean Associations of various sorts.BOOSTING SKILLSAdditionally,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, efforts were made to supplement the existing skills within the ministry having a team of former ambassadors who would have worked in some of the key areas, to provide a litmus test for some of the policies that come out of the ministry. This will work in tandem with the restructuring of the ministry along with the revisiting of the number of areas assigned.Further, the Foreign Services Institute was reactivated to deliver professional expertise to diplomats, as it will draw upon the available skills of former seasoned ambassadors.INTERNATIONAL POLICYAttention was also placed on the furtherance of the international policy which saw representation at the Caribbean Community, Commonwealth and other Heads of Government meetings which focus on international cooperation.Guyanese diplomats also participated and contributed in a prominent way by either chairing or organising international meetings such as the Post – 2015 Economic Agenda where Ambassador George Talbot played a significant role.The ministry worked towards resolving issues in MERCUSOR which is a regional integration movement outside of CARICOM, and pertaining to the World Trade Organisation and the trade obligations of Guyana. This saw Guyanese diplomats answering questions raised by trading partners as to the way forward regarding issues on trade cooperation.Work in the context of the European Union (EU) and the African Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) of States with whom Guyana collaborates and pursues a number of issues, which includes the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) arrangements, also continued during 2015.The end of 2015 saw major international events which proved most important on the international sphere, the first being the WTO round which was an attempt to conclude the DOHA round by trying to put in place a framework that will see the removal of trade barriers. This framework would be removed in a way that will give priority to the requirements as outlined by developing countries.December 2015 also saw the conference on the environment (COP 21) which was an area in which Secretary General Ban Ki-moon played a critical role,Cheap Jerseys 2018, and in which Guyana has a very important interest. This saw Guyana co