Pres Ali, US President to meet in Miami for security talks

…as Guyana vows action if region’s sovereignty is threatened

President Dr Irfaan Ali will soon travel to Miami to attend a meeting convened by United States (US) President Donald Trump and intends to focus his discussions on strengthening bilateral relationships in terms of regional security.
The Guyanese President, during an interview with reporters after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, explained that the Caribbean has been working with the US on several initiatives, especially regional security. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been engaging in strengthening our bilateral relationship in terms of security. And what the US Administration is having in Miami is a meeting on security matters that is convened by President Trump,” Ali stated.

When prompted about the details of the meeting’s agenda, President Ali reiterated, “I have been invited to the meeting… it’s a meeting dealing with security matters, it’s dealing with some of the challenges in the region, and to see how we can coordinate better in relation to those challenges. And this is an engagement that has been ongoing.” According to reports, the meeting will only see the leaders of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago attending. He further stated, “I can speak about Guyana. And Guyana has been invited to this meeting, and we will be attending.” Late last year, Washington had deployed about 10,000 troops in the Caribbean, either on ships near the Venezuelan coast or in the US territory of Puerto Rico, as part of efforts to combat transnational crime and the illicit drug trade coming out of Caracas. The Trump Administration has stated that designated narco-terrorist organisations like Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles are using the region’s air and sea corridors to funnel drugs into the US, thus posing a direct threat to American lives and security. The military assets in the region include eight Navy ships, F-35 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones. To date, the US has blown up several vessels in the Caribbean Sea that it said were transporting cocaine and other dangerous drugs to the country. Back in October, President Ali had said that countries within the Caribbean have nothing to fear from the US operation near the Venezuelan coast. In fact, Dr Ali reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to working with regional and international partners to ensure the protection of the country and its citizens. “Our priority is the protection of Guyana, the citizens of Guyana and the territory of Guyana. And we will do everything necessary to ensure that our country is safe and our people remain safe. We will do everything necessary to contribute to the region remaining a zone of peace, and we will do everything in support of combating transnational crime and illicit drugs,” the Guyanese head of state told reporters. Meanwhile, at the opening of the 50th Heads of Government Meeting on Tuesday, Trinidad’s Prime Minister (PM) Kamla Persad-Bissessar has thrown her support behind Guyana in the eventuality of an invasion by Venezuela, stating that her country will stand with the people of Guyana. In response, Ali stated, “Well, I’m not commenting on individual speeches and so on. What I would say is that our duty as leaders is to ensure we work hard in the interests of our citizens, in the interests of our countries and in the interests of the region. “We have an inherent responsibility to support each other whenever we come under a threat from anyone. So, I welcome the support of Trinidad and Tobago and the words of Prime Minister Kamla, reinforcing the fact that Trinidad and Tobago would support Guyana in relation to any threat from Venezuela.” He nevertheless reiterated that Guyana would not sit idly by if the territorial integrity and sovereignty of any of our states is threatened.