President Granger reaffirms strong ties with USA, Western Hemisphere

Georgetown, Guyana (June 27, 2020)

President David Granger has reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to Western Hemispheric values and to the furtherance of mutual goals and ideals.

The Head of State, in a recent interview, emphasised that the United States of America is a friend and has worked closely with Guyana over several decades through several organisations such as The Carter Center, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and US Agency for International Development (USAID), among others.

“Guyana is part of the Western Hemisphere. We have very cordial relations with the United States from defence, economy and security points of view,” the President said. Guyana, together with other Caribbean states, cooperates with the US Southern Command through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which is aimed at combating drug trafficking and other transnational crimes that threaten regional security.

President Granger made it clear that Guyana’s strategic interests in the Western Hemisphere were not in jeopardy. He said Guyana and the USA have enjoyed mutually beneficial defence, economic, political and social relations since Independence. He noted that relations between the two states have deepened through cooperation in the fields of defence, public health, public security, the economy and youth empowerment.

The Head of State emphasised that Guyana remains committed to strengthening its relations with the USA to overcome challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue to build the groundwork for a peaceful and prosperous Western Hemisphere.