Discourse with VP Harris beneficial for bilateral relations, regional development – President Ali

– Underscores importance of US as strategic partner for Guyana and the Caribbean

His Excellency President Irfaan Ali said the discourse with US Vice President Kamala Harris was beneficial not only to Guyana and the US but to the CARICOM Region.

 The Head of State made this remark following a teleconference earlier today with Vice President Harris in Washington DC.

“This conversation with the Vice President and President started at the Summit of the Americas. It has advanced rapidly. So, I will say that our conversation today was refreshing. It was beneficial both to Guyana and the US and CARICOM. It confronted the big issues, it was very frank and open, very respectful and it outlines the vision and supports the vision that I’ve been talking about.”

President Ali said such an exchange is necessary for advancing the relations between the two countries as it fosters understanding and allows for the opportunity to share perspectives. This, he emphasised is an important aspect of strengthening US/Guyana relations.

“The first thing that we need to do to advance any relationship is to have conversations, to understand each other, to share our perspective on things. They may be different, but unless you share it, you cannot understand the commonality or understand where each other is coming from.”

During today’s conversation, President Ali and Vice President Harris reviewed the progress made from meetings held at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, including the work of three short-term joint US-Caribbean committees that President Biden and the Vice President launched to produce concrete, near-term solutions on areas of immediate concern for Caribbean leaders, including food security, energy security, and access to development financing.

Vice President Harris welcomed the progress made in these three areas and reiterated the interest of the United States in addressing the unique vulnerabilities and urgent economic challenges facing Caribbean nations. She thanked President Ali for his leadership regarding the Region’s food security.

The two leaders also discussed the recent commitment of the United States to provide $28m for food security assistance to Caribbean nations and other ways the United States can support the Caribbean in this area.

Regarding a sustainable energy future, they discussed the implementation of the US-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) as well as efforts to accelerate PACC 2030’s energy infrastructure development timeline by incorporating these lines of effort into the work of the U.S.-Caribbean short-term energy and finance committees. 

Vice President Harris said she looks forward to continuing her collaboration with President Ali in promoting inclusive democracy, economic development, and security for all Guyanese. She underscored the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening US partnerships with the Caribbean.