US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo on Friday wrapped up a two-day visit to Guyana after meeting with the Head of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat and officials from American oil giant, ExxonMobil.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo with Caricom SG Ambassador Irwin LaRocque at the Secretariat on Friday
Pompeo, who is currently on a tour of the Western Hemisphere, arrived in Guyana on Thursday evening and immediately met with President Dr Irfaan Ali and some of his Cabinet members. The engagement continued on Friday with the signing of agreements between the two Governments to deepen cooperation.
After his official business with the Guyana Government on Friday morning, Secretary Pompeo met with Secretary General of Caricom, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, at the Secretariat in Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
Pompeo described the meeting as “important” in a subsequent tweet.
During the meeting, the US Secretary of State thanked Caricom for its support for democracy in Guyana, which helped ensure a credible outcome of the March 2, 2020 elections.
Despite a National Recount showing that the PPP/C had won the elections by over 15,000 votes, the APNU/AFC coalition refused to leave office and filed a series of litigations to block an official declaration by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Caricom had fielded a team of scrutineers to monitor the recount exercise.
The US Secretary of State himself played a prominent role in pushing for democracy in Guyana during that tumultuous period. In fact, he had announced visa restrictions back in July against Guyanese officials responsible for undermining democracy here.
Nevertheless, Pompeo asked for Caricom’s continued support in speaking out against regional threats to democracy during Friday’s meeting.
“The Secretary and the Secretary-General also discussed the importance of regional security and the US Caribbean Resilience Partnership, which assists in planning for natural disasters in the region,” Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department, Cale Brown, said.
Meanwhile, Secretary Pompeo on Friday also met with officials from US oil giant, ExxonMobil.
In a social media post following the engagement, the Secretary of State tweeted “Given the recent discoveries of oil in Guyana, today presented an important opportunity to express our support for U.S. energy sector businesses and to reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the responsible extraction and management of natural resources.”
One of the agreements that Pompeo signed with the Guyana Government is for the enhancement of US private sector investment in Guyana. During a joint press conference with President Irfaan Ali on Friday, the Secretary of State pointed out that the US will continue to do whatever it can to help American companies be successful, have access and have opportunities to engage in fair and transparent business dealings with Guyana. But he pointed out that the US is equally interested in seeing the wealth that is created from these opportunities also go to all Guyanese in a transparent and fair way.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Assistant Secretary (ag) of the Western Hemisphere, Ambassador Michael Kozak, and US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch meeting with officials of ExxonMobil at the US Embassy in Georgetown
ExxonMobil along with its partners are operating the oil-rich Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, which has more than eight billion barrels of crude. After first striking oil in May 2015, the US oil giant has since made 18 discoveries and started production in December 2019.
The company is now preparing for its third potential development project after Liza Phase 1 and 2 and is currently awaiting approval from the Guyana Government.
A senior State Department official had recently dismissed concerns that Pompeo’s visit could be seen as an effort to pressure the Guyana Government to approve the Payara Field Development Plan (FDP).
However, both President Ali and Secretary Pompeo on Friday insisted that their discussions did not cover ExxonMobil’s operations here.
In addition to Exxon, several other US companies are already operating in Guyana’s oil and gas sector.
On the other hand, the Secretary of State, who is the highest-ranking US official to ever visit Guyana, also met with staff of the US Embassy in Georgetown and their family members.
He tweeted, “Even in the most challenging of times, our @StateDept team does extraordinary things in support of the American people. My sincere thanks to the staff of @USEmbassyGuyana for your stellar work confronting COVID-19 and supporting free and fair elections in Guyana.”
Secretary Pompeo is currently on a tour of the Western Hemisphere that focuses on the US’s commitment to defend democracy, combat COVID-19 while revitalising economies in the pandemic’s wake, and strengthen security against regional threats.
He began his tour in Suriname on Thursday before coming to Guyana. He departed Friday afternoon for Boa Vista, Brazil, and will travel to Colombia today before flying back to the US and wrap up his tour in Texas on Sunday.
Upon his departure at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the US Secretary of State said in a post on twitter, “Strengthening prosperity, security, and democracy in the Western Hemisphere requires solid partnerships throughout the region. It was a great honor to visit Guyana, a valued partner in realizing our vision for a hemisphere of freedom.” (G8)
