Following the visit by United States’ Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the main opposition APNU+AFC last evening cautioned that Guyana should avoid being “boxed in” by diplomatic and trade agreements with any one “global superpower” and urged that it instead build and strengthen various alliances.
The coalition also stressed that while Guyana values its relationship with the United States, there is no desire to be part of the expected “October surprise.”
“We must not find ourselves with egg on our face when opponents of the past become friends and allies of the future and those who were forced to pick a side find themselves ostracized, standing alone like a little piece of cheese,” the coalition said in a statement, which said that the risks and hazards of Pompeo’s visit must be acknowledged.
“The timing of the visit is a cause for worry; given that the presidential election in the US is due within weeks and the world is bracing for the infamous and dreaded ‘October surprise,’” it said, while adding that this concern is compounded by the ratcheting up of rhetoric against Venezuelan leaders and the moving of military assets and material into the region.
On Friday during his visit to Guyana, Pompeo noted Guyana has rallied around its calls for democracy in Venezuela.
“The need for democracy in Venezuela and an end to the illegitimate Maduro regime – the man who’s denying that very democracy that the Guyanese people so love, denying that democracy for the people of Venezuela,” he said, while claiming that Guyana has supported statements through the Organization of American States and through the Lima Group.
President Irfaan Ali in turn said that Venezuela should be the beneficiary of democracy and that discussions between him and Pompeo centred on the countering of illicit trade from that country and dealing with the refugee crisis of persons fleeing the conditions there.
The President said that he reiterated that Guyana remains committed to the principles that guide its involvement in the Lima Group, particularly its “concern about the ongoing and protracted humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.”
“We support and respect the need for free and fair elections in our hemisphere. With urgency, we believe the democratic values and principles should be respected in Venezuela as well,” Ali said.
The Ali administration has been particularly resistant to attempts to secure a clear position on the US’s attempts to remove the Nicolas Maduro government.
A call by GHRA “to make public, well in advance of Pompeo’s visit, what are the non-negotiable elements with respect to Venezuela” was ignored.
Meanwhile, APNU+AFC also expressed concern about the impact of the visit on Guyana-China relations. “Secretary Pompeo made no bones about the fact that Guyana is ‘expected’ to choose American companies over Chinese. Is this in Guyana’s best interests?” the coalition asked.
It reminded that Guyana in 1972 was the first Caribbean country to recognise the People’s Republic of China and establish diplomatic relations. Since then, several brigades of doctors and specialist in numerous fields from China have supported local development.
“Guyana and China have forged a strong relationship that goes beyond mortar and steel…a special one…we cannot be expected to arbitrarily put it aside on the demands of others,” the coalition added.
The APNU+AFC maintained that the US must be made to understand that Guyana wishes to maintain good, healthy and peaceful relations with all super powers, including China, and as before, this can be done without jeopardising individual relationships or compromising values.
“There are enough resources for the Guyanese people and for others to benefit – without us having to find ourselves boxed-in and made to trade and do business with a chosen few only so as to avoid the risk of incurring their wrath,” it stressed before reminding that the Chinese National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), which owns a 25% stake in the Stabroek Block, was the shareholder that stepped up with financial and other resources to support ExxonMobil’s exploration when others felt it was too risky to do so and unlikely to prove profitable
