Engagement with US Special Envoy Noem focused on every aspect of security – Pres Ali

Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Irfaan Ali, has said that his recent high-level engagement with United States Special Envoy Kristi Noem was focused on a wide spectrum of security-related matters.
Former Secretary of the US Homeland Security Special Envoy Noem and her team were in Georgetown last week to advance the Shield of America’s agenda.
According to President Ali, her visit was part of a commitment that was made earlier this month by the US Government at the Shield of the America Summit held in Doral, Florida.
“After the meeting at Doral, there was a full commitment that there would be greater engagement with all the stakeholders. [Tuesday’s] meeting was part of that commitment of the continued engagement,” the Guyanese leader told reporters on the side-lines of an event on Thursday.
The Head of State added that the “engagement focused on every aspect of national [and] regional security, and that includes economic security, energy security, food security, transport security…and, of course, support for our hardcore security infrastructure and architecture to protect our development and protect the region.”
Guyana is among 12 Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) countries that agreed to work with the US Government to address drug trafficking and other illicit activities in the region.
In a Facebook post following the high-level discussions on Tuesday, the US Embassy in Georgetown said the officials reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the two countries.
“Their discussions focused on joint efforts to disrupt cartel and transnational criminal activity, strengthen border security, discourage illegal immigration, and promote economic opportunity,” the US Embassy said in the social media post. “Thanks to the Trump Administration’s leadership, we are building a safer, more secure, and more prosperous future in our region.”
Meanwhile, during the meeting, President Ali presented Special Envoy Noem with a Dillon Craig painting depicting Guyana’s national bird, the Canje Pheasant, alongside the iconic Harpy Eagle.
Members of the Cabinet and senior members of the Joint Services also attended the high-level engagement, the Office of the President said in a separate Facebook post.
Noem was appointed as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
The Guyanese Head of State was among only two Caribbean leaders invited by President Donald Trump to the March 7 summit in Florida.
President Ali, along with leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago, joined President Trump to sign a proclamation, committing to the dismantling of cartels and foreign terrorist organisations operating in the Western Hemisphere.
During an interview on the side-lines of the summit, the Guyanese leader declared Guyana’s unequivocal support for the strong actions and direct approach being taken by the US to crack down on drug cartels and transnational crimes that have plagued the Western Hemisphere for decades.
“We support the strong action on drug cartels. We’ve supported the charter to deal with transnational crime, especially the narco-terrorism and these cartels. We have to agree first that this is a challenge to the region, and we have an approach now that is direct and one that seeks to take the region out of the stain of criminality, cartels, and drugs,” President Ali had stated in an interview with Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie.