The United States yesterday stated that it will not allow Guyana to be bullied or to fall prey to tyranny as it stands strong in the partnership with this country.
“We keep our friends close. In the face of bullies and tyrants, the United States will always stand with Guyana. We will continue to grow and prosper together and enjoy peace and security in this critically important region,” United States Ambassador Nicole Theriot said a reception held at the Pegasus Hotel and Corporate Suites, Georgetown, to commemorate her country’s 248th independence.
Her remarks will be seen as a veiled reference to the aggression that has emanated from Venezuela.
Theriot acknowledged that the US may not be perfect, but stressed that it has come a long way by being open and transparent about what happens, while allowing for a strong and diverse media to showcase differing views.
“We improve and grow because we are honest with ourselves. We disagree often, but respect each other’s right to do so. Thanks to a strong and diverse media, our successes and shortcomings are visible for the world to see. As President (Joe) Biden said, ‘We don’t seek to bury our wrongs. We face them. We work to make it right’,” she said.
She lauded the relationship this country has with the US and highlighted the bilateral works in different areas, while zeroing in on the fact that the military partnership is the strongest it’s ever been.
“Guyana has hosted Tradewinds, bringing over 1,000 partner nations’ personnel for exercises promoting regional stability. We have had countless military-to-military engagements. We have allocated significant foreign military financing to support the Guyana Coast Guard under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, and we have worked with the GDF on institutional strengthening, air-domain awareness, cyber defence, and in many other areas,” she said.
And in the area of law enforcement partnership, that strength is no different, the US Envoy noted.
“Our law enforcement partnership is stronger than ever. With great support from the GPF, U.S law enforcement apprehended 5 fugitives last year. Our DEA team has worked with CANU and other parts of the government to seize thousands of kilos of illegal drugs, and in May, NYPD First Deputy Commissioner (Tania) Kinsella and her team visited Georgetown, further solidifying our partnership.”
Greater information sharing
President Irfaan Ali in reply, also highlighted security collaborations and the strong relationship the two sides currently have. “There has never been a time in the history of our relationship that we have had this level of integration, this level of trust, this level of sharing and this level of common platform, through which our security architecture is operating and integrating itself. And we are seeing the successes.”
Not only are more persons in uniform trained in the US now, he reasoned, “We have a greater information- sharing platform that we never had access to before. We have greater trust between ourselves and this has resulted in marked improvement. This has brought tangible results in every aspect of our security architecture, whether it’s our fight against illicit drugs, whether it’s our fight against money laundering, whether it’s the fight against criminal activities, movement of arms, we are seeing tangible results as a result of the work we are doing together.”
Days ago, the US created waves here when it announced sanctions against gold dealers Nazar Mohamed and Azruddin Mohamed and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour, Mae Toussaint Junior Thomas.
Ali thanked the US for the way the local embassy here works with its US counterparts and for the way they have “integrated and work with our team.”
“And I know how very pleasing it is for our team to be working with your team and we’re looking forward for this relationship to be expanded. We’re looking forward for us to integrate in a greater way,” he added. He said that the US’ support in the area of technology has been outstanding and has helped Guyana across sectors.
“The transfer of technology and use of technology, especially for a small population like ours. Our security architecture requires the use of technology to aid us and help us and we are having tremendous collaboration on this front also,” he said.
Recognizing the works the US has been doing here on the intelligence gathering side, the President thanked Washington for working with Guyana. “I want to also take an opportunity to recognize our two intelligence agencies for the work that they’re doing. The level of cooperation within the intelligence agency of Guyana and the US, I think, is admirable,” he said.
The support given by the US to this country’s military was praised by the President as an “extraordinary” one as he dismissed conjecture that the security relationship was one promoting aggression.
“There is no conversation between the US and Guyana in our security architecture that seek to fuel any act of aggression or anything in this region. Every single conversation in this relationship is about keeping this region safe and peaceful and keeping the people of this region in an environment in which they enjoy the rule of law. So this propaganda of a sinister plan between Guyana and the US has no place anywhere. There is no sinister plan. The only sinister plan is to ensure peace remains in this region and we are not going to deviate from that plan,” he stressed, in what appeared to be a reference to reports emanating from Venezuela.
The President said that this country is grateful that the US military stands with it and gives it the extraordinary support.
“It’s extraordinary in many ways and if you want to measure the impact of that relationship, you just have to look at some of the tweets and some of the statements from those who surround our sovereign territory and you will see the attribution to this relationship,” he said.
“We have no apologies for the strong bond and relationship that we have with SOUTHCOM because we believe that we share the common values and we share the same interests in ensuring that this zone remains in a zone of peace and this zone and our sovereign right is protected and I want to make it very clear, because the propaganda can be different,” he added
Meanwhile, on the commercial front, US Ambassador Theriot she said that those ties are deeper than they have ever been in the years of partnership between Georgetown and Washington.
“Just a few years ago, we traded a few $100 million US worth of goods, but last year, we surpassed $4.6 billion US! We now have over 100 U.S companies in Guyana, and that number is growing every day. Through trade missions, conferences, and exchanges between our private sectors, our companies are unleashing economic growth that supports the employment of thousands, providing a better future for Guyana. And it is occurring in many sectors,” Theriot said.
“Energy, of course, is a key economic driver, but we see activity in areas of healthcare, education, and agriculture. And new U.S. technology is being adopted by Guyanese firms and the government to make them more efficient and competitive.”
Theriot pointed out that the stellar relationship between the two countries in myriad areas could not have been possible “without the steadfast support of the Guyanese people,” and government.
To President Irfaan Ali, she said, “Thank you for your leadership, friendship, and unwavering partnership. It’s been an incredible journey, and we’re just getting started.”
Diversity
The President said that like the U.S, Guyana is always working to bridge the differences here that sees the integration of this country’s peoples. “The diversity of our population, the richness of that diversity, the beauty of that diversity, and the importance of integrating that diversity into a collective whole so that we can get the greatest aspiration of our nation, through all the people of our two countries…is an important part of our celebration,” he said.
Thanking the US for being a friend to Guyana over the years, Ali said that partnership has seen commitment from the two sides in facing a number of challenges. “Whether it’s transnational crime, whether it’s the sharing of information and the greater integration of our system, to support rule-based society, we are both committed to the task of building an unbreakable friendship and relationship that is grounded in respect values and the rule of law,” Ali asserted.
“And that is the foundation of the relationship that we are championing… we are championing a relationship in which our institutions, our system of governance, and the way in which we collaborate with each other, can be integrated in such a way to allow the smooth flow of our relationship and to allow the institutionalization of that relationship and this is important. What we are working on is a project that will institutionalize this relationship that is not based on the politics of the region or the politics of the country. It is based on respect, values, rule of law, and institutions that secure and cement that relationship,” he added.
Ali said that like the US, Guyana commits to strengthening democratic norms and democracy within its system, so that it doesn’t have to be enforced on anyone. “We must live it. We must breathe it and we must entrench it in our system, and that is what is important for us,” he contended.
“Democracy is the foundation the rock on which we must stand,” he added.
