THIS country is seeking to deepen bilateral talks with Guatemala as there is "great potential to be explored and built on" in business and trade.

TT's Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne met with Guatemala's line minister Mario Adolfo Búcaro Flores this week.

The two met at the 28th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and the ninth ACS Summit, which was held in Guatemala from May 11-12.

In a release, TT's Foreign Affairs Ministry said the ministers "expressed delight in the 29 years of friendship" shared between the two countries. This friendship, the ministry said, is built on mutual respect and support.

"In this vein, Minister Flores reiterated Guatemala’s support for TT’s bid for the presidency of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2023."

It added that the ministers agreed there is a need for improvements within intra-regional travel.

"Minister Browne highlighted that regional transportation is a priority concern within the Caribbean community and intimated that options were being explored by Caribbean Airlines Ltd to expand its travel routes in Latin America. He advanced that this will be pivotal in bringing our countries closer through more frequent people-to-people interactions."

Avenues for co-operation with respect to diplomatic training and capacity building were also discussed.

"Mention was made of scholarships offered by the Government of Guatemala, as well as a proposal for the implementation of an exchange programme between the diplomatic academies of the two countries."

It continued, "A commitment was made to finalise bilateral agreements in trade and investment which are currently being considered by the respective governments.

"The ministers committed to deepening bilateral relations and to taking decisive actions to progress the matters discussed."

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