Venezuela, infrastructural investment high on Pompeo’s agenda 

The political and socio-economic crisis facing Venezuela is among issues to be discussed when the U.S Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo commences his two-day visit to Guyana later today, a Senior U.S State Department Official has disclosed.
It was during a virtual press conference with reporters on Wednesday, that the Senior State Department Official explained that the U.S Secretary will meet with President Irfaan Ali and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hugh Todd to discuss the impact the crisis in Venezuela has on Guyana. He was keen on noting that the crisis in the Spanish speaking country is the “hemisphere’s largest refugee and humanitarian crisis.”

“During this visit, the Secretary will reinforce our hemispheric partnership to defend democracy, combat the COVID-19 pandemic, revitalize our economy in the pandemic’s wake – economies in the pandemic’s wake, and strengthen security against regional threats, especially the threat emanating from Maduro’s Venezuela,” the US State Department Official explained as he summed up the aim of Pompeo’s visit to Guyana, Suriname, Brazil and Colombia.

Ahead of Pompeo’s visit, President Ali’s Adviser on Borders, Ralph Ramkarran, had warned that military interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela could further risk Guyana’s territorial integrity.

“In order to protect Guyana’s territorial integrity, Guyana cannot be seen to be making war, or assisting anyone to make war, on Venezuela. Guyana is simply too vulnerable,” Ramkarran, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, said on Tuesday.
The United States has been turning to countries in the Western Hemisphere for support as it mounts pressure, through a number of strong policy actions, on the Nicolás Maduro Administration, in an attempt to force it out of Office. To date, it has imposed severe sanctions on that Administration over a range of issues including human rights violations and poor governance.
Here in Guyana, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has not detailed the depth of the discussion it intends to have with the US Secretary of State on Venezuela, despite being pressed by the main parliamentary Opposition – the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) – for answers.

Guyana and Venezuela are currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the validity of the 1899 Arbitral Award, and according to the Government Adviser, it is important for Guyana to maintain its initial position when treating with the Spanish speaking country – that is, non-interference in its internal affairs.
2020 Elections

According to the Senior US State Department Official, Pompeo will travel to Guyana today after visiting Suriname. The US Secretary of State is expected to first meet with President Ali to offer congratulations and reflect on the highly disputed March 2020 General and Regional Elections that spanned for a total of five months as a result of a series of legal actions, and a self-imposed National Recount undertaken by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“Like his history-making visit to Suriname, this is the first visit of a Secretary of State to Guyana since its independence. It underscores the important moment Guyana is traversing. The country’s newly elected leaders can build an all-inclusive – can build an inclusive democracy that consolidates rule of law, attracts transparent private-sector investment, and exploits natural resources for the benefit of all of its citizens,” the US Official told reporters.

On Friday, September 18, 2020, the US Secretary is expected to meet with the Foreign Minister and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque to discuss U.S.-Caribbean issues.

During those meetings, the US Secretary will thank CARICOM for the critical role it played in supporting Guyana’s democratic process as it relates electoral count. Pompeo was at the forefront of calls for GECOM to declare the results of the March 2020 General and Regional Elections based on the National Recount notwithstanding that the fact that the recount had unearthed significant irregularities and confirmed cases of voter impersonation.

During his regular press conferences and social media tweets, Pompeo called for the A Partnership for the APNU+AFC Government to step aside, contending that the results that emanated from the recount, were the true representation of the will of the people of Guyana. And when his threats of sanction did not work, the US Secretary of States, on the heels of an ongoing court battle regarding the National Recount, announced visa restrictions on individuals believed to have been undermining democracy in the country.

That aside, the US and Guyana will discuss the fight to combat the trafficking of narcotics. “The United States and Guyana will exchange diplomatic notes for joint maritime patrols to interdict narcotics. This step will help provide security for Guyanese and American people,” the US State Department Official explained.

The US Secretary will also sign a Growth in the Americas Memorandum of Understanding with Guyana. “This will permit Guyana to improve its investment enabling environment so that the country can benefit from transparent infrastructure investment that respects Guyana’s sovereignty,” the US official explained.

From Guyana, the US Secretary of State will travel to Brazil and then to Colombia.