Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali will meet his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva for bilateral talks early Thursday and discussion on connecting the two countries are a priority.

This is according to President Ali, who spoke to reporters before his bilateral meeting with President Lula at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre at Liliendaal, Georgetown.

“This conversation has been going on for some time,” Dr. Ali said when asked about Brazil’s support for the roadway that connected Bon Fim in northern Brazil to Guyana’s Linden town.

Dr. Ali said Guyana already started on the first phase of the project: constructing about 120 kilometres of a roadway from Linden to Lethem. There are also 45 bridges along that route.

But connecting the two countries, Guyana’s President said, is more than just this bridge.

“We are going beyond the road now where we think we can integrate energy and food security for the wider (Caribbean Community).

“That is definitely a priority on the agenda and we will definitely be discussing the type of collaboration that is required,” Dr. Ali said.

President Lula came to Guyana as a special guest of CARICOM. He addressed a CARICOM summit on Wednesday and spoke of leveraging the relationship with Guyana to guarantee deeper ties with CARICOM.