President Ali off to meet with US Vice President Kamala Harris

President Dr Irfaan Ali has departed Guyana for the United States, where he will be taking part in a round of bilateral meetings and engagements and will be meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris.

File photo: President Dr Irfaan Ali and US Vice President Kamala Harris, at the IX Summit of the Americas

According to a statement from the Office of the President, Ali will also be taking part in roundtable discussions, engagements with the Guyanese Diaspora and an interfaith forum – all in a matter of days.
“High on his agenda is a meeting on Thursday, September 15, in Washington, DC between Caribbean leaders and the US Vice President, the Honourable Kamala Harris. The meeting is a follow-up to HE President Joseph Biden and Vice President Harris’s commitment at the recent Summit of the Americas to partner with the Caribbean to promote energy security, access to finance, and food security,” it was explained.
Then, on Saturday, President Ali will be travelling to Orlando, Florida, for a Diaspora engagement. Additionally, from September 18 to 21, he is scheduled to participate in a number of bilateral engagements and address several high-level events, including the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 21, 2022.
“President Ali will be joined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Honourable Hugh Todd, and Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud,” the Office of the President also said.
In July of this year, President Ali had a teleconference in Washington, DC, with VP Harris during which they had discussions that were beneficial not only to the two countries but the entire Caribbean Community (Caricom) region.
“This conversation with the Vice President and President started at the Summit of the Americas. It has advanced rapidly. So, I will say that our conversation today was refreshing. It was beneficial both to Guyana and the US and Caricom. It confronted the big issues, it was very frank and open, very respectful and it outlines the vision and supports the vision that I’ve been talking about,” President Ali had said in a statement issued by the Press and Publicity Unit of the Office of the President.
President Ali noted that such an exchange was necessary for advancing the relations between the two countries as it fostered understanding and allowed for the opportunity to share perspectives. This, he emphasised, is an important aspect of strengthening US-Guyana relations.
“The first thing that we need to do to advance any relationship is to have conversations, to understand each other, to share our perspective on things. They may be different, but unless you share it, you cannot understand the commonality or understand where each other is coming from,” the Guyanese Leader stated.
It was further noted that during the conversation, President Ali and Vice President Harris reviewed the progress made from meetings held at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, including the work of three short-term joint US-Caribbean committees that President Biden and the Vice President launched to produce concrete, near-term solutions on areas of immediate concern for Caribbean leaders, in food security, energy security, and access to development financing.
Vice President Harris had welcomed the progress made in these three areas and reiterated the interest of the United States in addressing the unique vulnerabilities and urgent economic challenges facing Caribbean nations. She thanked President Ali for his leadership regarding the Region’s food security.
The two leaders also discussed the recent commitment of the United States to provide US$28 million for food security assistance to Caribbean nations and other ways the US could support the Caribbean in this area.
Regarding a sustainable energy future, they discussed the implementation of the US-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) as well as efforts to accelerate PACC 2030’s energy infrastructure development timeline by incorporating these lines of effort into the work of the US-Caribbean short-term energy and finance committees.
Vice President Harris had said she looked forward to continuing her collaboration with President Ali in promoting inclusive democracy, economic development, and security for all Guyanese. She had underscored the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthening US partnerships with the Caribbean.
The month prior, President Ali and VP Harris had met at the IX Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California. In April, VP Harris had also convened a virtual meeting with Caribbean leaders, where a range of matters were discussed. (G3)