President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday called on the European Union (EU) to urgently put systems in place to grant Schengen visas in Guyana.
Currently, Guyanese have to travel to a European embassy in Suriname or Trinidad to obtain Schengem visas to travel to any of thr EU member states.
He stressed the need for EU visas to be granted in Guyana, and hoped that the impending formal establishment of the EU-Guyana Chamber of Commerce would be an impetus for this to happen.
“It is in their strategic interest to have that facility here,” he said, adding that he hoped that EU visas could be granted here within the next three months.
“What do you want us to do to help you to get it done and next we must get it done ” he added.
He described the hassle of Guyanese going to Suriname for threr days for Schengen visas as as “nonsense., absolutely ridiculous.”
In addition to the return of Brutish Airways from next year, he announced that Guyana was now hoping to get KLM Airline, another European carrier. Efforts, he said, were also underway to get airlift to and from Canada.
The President said technology should not be used as an excuse not to grant EU visas here.
