Pompeo pledges US$5M to help with Venezuelan refugees in Guyana
President Irfaan Ali and US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, sharing a light moment (Adrian Narine photo)
President Irfaan Ali and US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, sharing a light moment (Adrian Narine photo)

— says democracy, freedom and rule of law important in hemisphere

 

US Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, has pledged US$5M in relief to help Venezuelans who fled to Guyana due to the political and socio-economic crisis in the Bolivarian Republic.

Pompeo made the announcement, Friday morning, during a joint press conference with President, Dr Irfaan Ali, at State House.
The Secretary of State expressed his wish that the co-operation between Guyana and the US will continue on the on-going crisis in Venezuela.
He also commended Guyana for its humanitarian efforts toward the Venezuelan migrants.
Commenting on Venezuela, Pompeo said two things are known.

“We know that the Maduro regime has decimated the people of Venezuela and that Maduro himself is an indicted narcotics trafficker. This means he has to leave. For the people of Venezuela to have the democracy that they need, the Cuban security forces must go and Maduro must leave.”
Pompeo continued: “And so the efforts to do that, to put diplomatic pressure and to support the Venezuelan people who desperately want that same objective, are the aims of the Contact Group of the EU, the Lima Group, the OAS, the United States, dozens of countries that have made clear that Juan Guaido is the duly-elected leader of Venezuela. This is the objective. We want democracy and freedom and the rule of law. Just in the same way we fought for you all to achieve that for yourselves, we want to fight for that to be achieved by the people of Venezuela as well.”

In March of this year, the US government formally indicted the Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro on narcotics trafficking charges and issued a wanted bulletin for his arrest.
Meanwhile, Pompeo also pledged US$4.5M in financial support to bolster Guyana’s governance and democracy initiatives.
The Secretary of State said the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) would finance the initiatives through a locally-led programme.
Within that programme, he said US$3 million will be set aside for citizens’ involvement in governance and US$1.5 million for youth participation in democracy.

PROUD TO SUPPORT
“We know that Guyanese people cherish democracy, freedom and value free, fair and transparent elections just as Americans do, just as all people do. I was proud to support the Guyanese people in their quest to have the results of the elections respected, the results certainly took longer than any of us would have wished or hoped, but it was worth fighting for and it was worth fighting to honour the people’s sovereign position,” Pompeo said.
President Ali reiterated that Guyana remains committed to the principles that guide its involvement in the Lima Group, particularly with concerns about the ongoing and protracted humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

“We support and respect the need for free and fair elections in our hemisphere. With urgency, we believe the democratic values and principles should be respected in Venezuela as well,” President Ali said.

The Head of State conveyed his appreciation to US, noting that Pompeo reiterated his support and that of the US for Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and its call for a timely resolution to the controversy with Venezuela and respect for the 1899 Arbitral Award.

“I thanked Secretary Pompeo for his visit and for reaffirming his commitment and that of the US to our friendship and the fundamental values shared by the two countries, as well as the United States’ unwavering support to consolidate the democratic process and prosperity of Guyana. I assured him that his visit ushers in a new chapter in our bilateral relations,” the President said.

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