GUYANA is looking forward to lasting cooperation with the United States (US), as the country advances towards securing a better life for people in the Western Hemisphere and Caribbean.

This was according to President David Granger during his remarks at the celebration of the US’s 243rd Anniversary of Independence at the US Ambassador’s residence, on Friday evening.

Guyana extended congratulations to the government and people of the US on the occasion of the 243rd Anniversary of its Declaration of Independence.

According to President Granger, Guyana and the US have enjoyed excellent relations since the establishment of formal diplomatic ties in August 1966 – the year Guyana gained independence.

“Our countries have cultivated a strong stable and sound relationship over the past 53 years… Guyanese are bound by the ties of history to the US, the largest economy and third largest country in the world,” said the president.

Guyana and the US have founded a friendship on the principles of mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, cooperation for mutual benefit and respect for international law and treaty in the maintenance of international peace and security.

President Granger said the US continues to be one of Guyana’s significant trade and investment partners and the government appreciates the cooperation programmes, which have contributed to national, economic development and social changes.
He made reference to initiatives such as the maternal child survivor programme, strengthening of the criminal justice system and numerous USAID governance and security training programmes offered to the local defence and police forces.

“These all augment our human resource capacity and have been invaluable to Guyana’s development,” said President Granger, adding that Guyana continues to benefit from the US SOUTHCOM’s New Horizon series of projects, which began 15 years ago.
The current project has contributed to Guyana’s public health and public education systems, through the building of clinics, community centres, schools and the hosting of joint medical outreaches.

All of those initiatives, he said, promote peace and stability and augment the development of the social infrastructure, which is necessary for improving citizens’ quality of life.
The US has also sustained cooperation in health, education and the environment with the current cohort of 33 Peace Corps volunteers, who assist the ministries of public health, education and Department of Environment in improving primary literacy, supporting adolescents in youth friendly spaces and raising awareness of domestic and environmental issues.

According to President Granger, Guyana also benefits from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in the global fight against the disease. It is an initiative guided by the Millennium Development Goals of halting the spread, improving treatment and the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
While Guyana welcomes the US’ support on all fronts, the country remains guided by its own ‘Green State Development Strategy’.

“Guyana is in transition to becoming a ‘green’ state. One which will place emphasis on the protection of our environment, the preservation of biodiversity, promotion of renewable energy and the adoption of practical measures to ensure climate adaptation,” said President Granger.

Like Guyana, the US has grown by using its many resources, which have enabled the country to be what it is today – a strong leader, but also a friend and partner to many nations, including Guyana.

US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah Ann-Lynch, said a lot has happened along the 243-year journey. The US, she said, has struggled, roiled at times by political strife and ethnic sectarian divisions, but has found its way – time and time again – out of divisiveness and set itself on a solid path forward.

The US has experimented-first with a political system that stressed checks and balance of power – a system far from the norm of the times, and then, with science and technology, giving them so many wonders that people take for granted today: the telephone, electricity, computers and airplanes.

Further, the US has explored – first Westward towards California, and since then under the seas and out to the stars.

For instance the US faced unparalleled challenges in its journey to space, but it also succeeded in breaking extraordinary new ground. Why? Preparation had met opportunity and that yielded success.

Likewise, Ambassador Ann-Lynch said Guyana is on its own journey right now, also facing tremendous opportunity, having burst onto the world stage as it gets ready for the first extraction of oil in 2020.

“I am proud that the US continues to be a determined partner of yours as we continue to collaborate with Guyana in preparation for this new day: partnering on the security front to make Guyana safer and more secure; partnering on the governance front to improve transparency and accountability, and to reduce corruption; partnering on the development front to enhance access to quality healthcare and increase educational and job opportunities; and partnering on the economic front to increase trade and US investment in Guyana,” she said.

Ann-Lynch believes that the partnership will continue to thrive and be successful with strong US and Guyanese leadership.

She as such urged the government officials, leaders and members of the opposition, civil society and youth to help Guyana in its journey to success and to help the country prepare, to the greatest extent, for the new day.
In that regard, she urged Guyanese to remember the words of Astronaut, Neil Armstrong – “Success is where preparation meets opportunity.”