US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to visit Guyana next week

United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Guyana next week as part of a three-nation tour of the Caribbean, where he will be meeting with regional leaders to discuss important issues.
According to a Miami Herald report, on Wednesday Rubio will travel to Jamaica, where he will be hosted by Prime Minister Andrew Holness for talks.
Based on regional reports, Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, and other regional leaders will also be in Kingston to meet with the Secretary of State.
Guyana Times understands that a CARICOM meeting was held virtually on Friday afternoon among regional leaders, to set the agenda for those talks with the US official.
Rubio will then travel to Guyana and Suriname, where he will meet with their respective Presidents, Dr Irfaan Ali and Chandrikapersad Santokhi.

In Georgetown, the US Secretary of State and President Ali are likely to have discussions on a number of issues including the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy. Additionally, policy issues such as the recent US restrictions on Cuban medical professionals could also be discussed.
Last month, Rubio announced a decision to place visa restrictions on officials believed to be involved in the export of Cuban workers – a move that has been strongly criticised by Caribbean leaders.
President Ali recently told reporters that Guyana has already informed the US authorities that all foreign workers here, including Cuban medical professionals, are employed under strict local labour laws as well as in compliance with international labour laws.
Moreover, Guyana’s upcoming General and Regional Elections, which is slated for later this year, is also expected to be on the agenda for talks with Secretary Rubio.
The US had played a crucial role in ensuring that democracy prevailed in Guyana during the 2020 elections fiasco, and had imposed visa restrictions on Guyanese officials, who had attempted to undermine the results.
Only back in January, President Ali had a telephone discussion with the US Secretary of State following his appointment, during which they discussed collaboration on energy, security, democracy, and regional prosperity.
According to a brief statement from the Department of State, the two officials had addressed the crisis of illegal migration, and agreed to jointly address this regional imperative and challenge.
The Secretary also affirmed the US’s steadfast support of Guyana’s territorial integrity in the face of Nicolás Maduro and his cronies’ bellicose actions.
The US has long shown its support for Guyana in the face of Venezuela’s aggression. In fact, just last week, US Ambassador in Georgetown, Nicole Theriot, had condemned the recent incursion of a Venezuelan naval vessel in Guyana’s waters, and reiterated her Government’s continued support for Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Clearly, we support Guyana 100 per cent against this aggression that is unacceptable and we won’t allow Venezuela to threaten Guyana’s territory and sovereignty. And so, we are standing with many other international partners [to condemn the incursion]. We will always stand shoulder to shoulder with Guyana in supporting you and defending you,” she told the Guyana Times on the sidelines of an event.
Rubio’s visit to Guyana would mark the third by a US Secretary of State in less than five years under the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government.
Former secretaries of state, Mike Pompeo and Antony Blinken, previously visited Guyana, during which they engaged in discussions with the Ali Administration as well as other local stakeholders.