Thomas C. Pierce, the New Deputy Chief of Mission to the Embassy of the United States of America, will be serving in that capacity for the next three years in Guyana and is looking forward to contributing to the broad bilateral agenda between Guyana and the USA. Mr. Pierce met President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday at State House as part of a series of orientation and acquaintance visits to several officials and stakeholders in the Guyanese society.
Arriving from Washington D.C., Pierce told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that an assessment of the priorities between Guyana and the USA would see much progress in efforts to combat the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
The US President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the New Horizons project are but two examples.
Other initiatives and interventions that have attracted US support, either bilaterally or through the global fund, include cooperation on law enforcement and security.
Guyana was heartened by the commitment of President Barack Obama in tackling the narcotics trafficking problem while at the Summit of the Americas, and his intention to form a joint initiative to advance common security in the hemisphere.
The US Government is also willing to offer technical assistance to help Guyana manage the wealth that is likely to come from the discovery of oil and gas as it recently began the process of working on an Energy Governance and Capacity Initiative (EGCI) for countries headed in this direction.
The process involves bringing together the U.S. Government’s top experts along with their unmatched global expertise in oil and gas sector management within a formalized and integrated technical assistance programme focused on the energy sector.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, at a recent occasion marking another independence anniversary of the U.S., said the two countries share a relationship that is characterized by close collaboration in the international arena and high level bilateral cooperation.