CITIZEN security, fighting crime, tackling the drug trade and advances in the energy sector are areas that President Donald Ramotar expects will have major takeaways for Guyana at today’s meeting of regional leaders.US President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with President Ramotar and other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Heads of Government in Jamaica.

“The issues that are being addressed at today’s meeting are important ones, in particular security in the Caribbean and development of the oil and gas sector,” Mr. Ramotar said, in an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle.
Over the last several decades Guyana and the USA have been engaged in mutually beneficial undertakings in several areas.
To this end, President Ramotar explained that he expects to address, in particular, the country’s oil and gas potential and hydropower, in line with the ruling party’s vision for the next five years.
GROWING RELATIONS
The last word from the U.S. Embassy here was that investment relationships between Guyana and the United States are growing.
According to the former U.S. Ambassador, Brent Hardt, several U.S. companies are interested in doing business here.
“We’re each other’s closest trade partners in the sense that I think the trade relations between us is the biggest of any countries,” he said in an interview with the Chronicle, prior to his departure.
Noteworthy is the fact that the Ambassador highlighted Guyana’s potential in the oil and gas field, which he said is increasingly becoming a point of interest for U.S. investors.
Hardt said, “We’ve worked to encourage U.S. investors to come here, and I know as the oil and gas field becomes increasingly of interest here in Guyana, we’ll hopefully see more U.S. companies engaging in that area. There is already interest, and we look forward to seeing more and more companies here.”
In the area of security, Guyana has sought from the North American nation. The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, President Obama’s initiative, is one such area of cooperation, which was launched in 2010, has so far provided over US$263M in support to the Caribbean, with Guyana being a major recipient.
The U.S. has also provided metal shark boats to the Guyanese Coast Guard, facilitated training from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and worked on improving security at Guyana’s main entry points.
The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is another programme where much work has been done, particularly in ensuring delivery of medications in a timely manner.
In the non-traditional agriculture and aquaculture, USAID offers support to continuously advance in this regard, as well as in the area of eco-tourism and in addressing social issues. (Vanessa Narine)