US Secretary of State visit gives Guyana visibility -President Ali
−allows for association at international levels
His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, has said United States (US) Secretary of State Mr. Michael Pompeo’s visit to Guyana has reinforced to the world that the two nations will continue to strengthen cooperation.
During an interview with the Miami Caribbean Times Newscast on Tuesday, the President said while visibility is sometimes underestimated, the exposure will give Guyana an advantage in reaching investors who may not otherwise have been considering investing here.
“Visibility allows us to associate Guyana at the international level and it brings that interest,” President Ali said.
The President also refuted claims that Pompeo’s visit to Guyana may have had a hidden agenda involving Venezuela.
“I think the visit may have disappointed them in this regard because of the Venezuela issue we had already spoken about. We support democracy, we support freedom and we support democratic transition[s]. We associated [ourselves] with the Lima statement and OAS statement and we have nothing else to add,” President Ali said.
The Lima Group, a multilateral body established in 2017, represents 12 countries seeking to establish a peaceful exit to the ongoing crisis in Venezuela.
The Organization of American States (OAS), meanwhile, is the premier regional forum for political discussion, policy analysis and decision-making in the Western Hemisphere affairs. The OAS has condemned what it describes as “the grave and systematic violations of human rights in Venezuela.”
The Head of State also noted the other important outcomes of the visit, which included the signing of the Shiprider Agreement and the MoU for the Growth in the Americas Initiative as well as the commitment to US$4.5 million of new USAID assistance for youth and citizen engagement programmes.
The President said the visit also sent a strong signal about Guyana’s commitment to democracy.
“Our commitment to having strong bilateral partners and of course, to note that the US is one of the important strategic partners of Guyana. It also sends a strong signal that we are ready to cooperate and collaborate on issues of national, regional and international interests,” the President said.