In a revealing conversation with the Tribuna team broadcast by Paraguay TV, the British ambassador to Paraguay, Ramin Navai, spoke about the current state and future of bilateral relations between both countries, highlighting in particular the drive for sustainability and the green economy as fundamental axes in the collaboration.
With more than $1 billion of British investment in key sectors such as renewable energy and the green economy, the relationship between Britain and Paraguay continues to strengthen.
The United Kingdom: A key partner in Paraguay’s green development
Ramin Navai stressed that one of the priorities of his mission has been to promote collaboration between both countries in areas that contribute to sustainable growth and the fight against climate change. Paraguayan President Santiago Peña has been repeatedly promoting Paraguay’s credentials as a “green country”, a vision that coincides with British policies of transition towards a low-carbon economy. “It is something that the President of the Republic, Santiago Peña, talks a lot about regarding green Paraguay, and that it has enormous potential for sustainable growth,” Navai commented.
The British ambassador then highlighted the impact of British investment in Paraguay. “We have supported several British companies here, and we have seen growth in trade. And I am going to identify two large investments, because in the coming year, we are on track to reach almost a billion dollars of investment from my country to Paraguay,” he said. For the ambassador, the development of green projects and the promotion of the transition towards a circular economy are crucial both for the country’s well-being and for its successful integration into the global economy of the future.
During his mission, Navai has had the opportunity to explore some of the country’s most iconic regions, such as the Pantanal, a unique wetland that is part of the rich biodiversity that Paraguay offers to the world. “I recently went to the Pantanal, and it’s amazing to see two things: Paraguay’s nature, which is impressive, and the impact of climate change,” Navai explained.
The British ambassador also highlighted the importance of the Paraguayan Chaco, a vast region of enormous natural resources that, according to him, has great potential for ecotourism and sustainable development. “This adventure in the Chaco was incredible. I went to the border with Bolivia, to a town called Nueva Asunción, and the Médanos Park reserve is there. We stayed in the area and looked at the stars in the middle of the Chaco, it really is another very nice experience,” said Navai.
The British Ambassador’s love for Paraguay: A lasting bond
Throughout the interview, Ramin Navai expressed his affection and admiration for Paraguay, a nation that, according to him, deeply captivated him.
Navai, who has been representing Britain in Paraguay for almost four years, also spoke about his personal feelings at the end of his mission. “ It is impossible to put it into words, Paraguay is already part of my life. I see a future here, obviously I am not going to be an ambassador again, but I will be returning to Paraguay for the rest of my life. I have many friends here ,” he recalled.
He also confessed that, although his farewell is near, his relationship with Paraguay will not end here. ” It has been an unforgettable experience. Probably the best four years of my life. Definitely professionally. And with many memories. As I say, I don’t see it as the end of my mission, but another story begins ,” he said.
The future of relations between the United Kingdom and Paraguay
For the British ambassador, Britain’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) opened potential opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations with countries such as Paraguay. “Obviously the exit gives us a little room to do more bilateral things, and I think that is the case with Paraguay. But I would not go so much into the commercial relationship, because what we have been looking for is an agreement with Mercosur, but in general we have had much more attention towards Paraguay,” he explained.
Navai also mentioned that, despite the numerous and sometimes painful difficulties that the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union has entailed over in the UK, Great Britain remains committed to the region and in particular to Paraguay. “We are in the process of signing new free trade agreements… and well, we all know that these processes take decades, in general. We are in the process, we took the vote in 2016, we left four years later, so for me we are in the short term of a new era for my country,” he concluded.
Ramin Navai’s tenure as British ambassador leaves an important mark on relations between the United Kingdom and Paraguay, with an emphasis on sustainability and economic development. The ambassador says goodbye with the certainty that Paraguay has a bright future in these areas, and with the commitment to return to a country that he has come to consider his second home.
