—President Ali says
–TT will ‘unflinchingly’ support Guyana against any attack
WITH less than nine days away from the General and Regional Elections, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has appealed to the nation, warning them not to turn the hands back on the clock of development, especially with Guyana and the wider region facing security threats.
Speaking at a public meeting in Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, in front of a mammoth crowd, the President told citizens that Guyana is on board with its international partners to fight against transnational criminal networks and narco-terrorism.
The President said that the government will not risk the nation’s sovereignty nor sacrifice its future, noting that the country must be able to navigate this complex environment.

Dr. Ali stressed that Guyana must strategically develop partnerships and alliances that directly strengthen the nation’s security, safeguard its sovereignty, and secure its future.
“We must align ourselves with every force that is coming together to fight transnational criminal networks, because these criminal networks can destabilise our region and our economy. They can work on behalf of rogue regimes, and they can do the work of rogue regimes,” President Ali said.
He warned of the threat Venezuela poses to Guyana, noting that if criminal networks operating here, elsewhere in the region, are not addressed, Guyana must position itself as a reliable and serious partner in the fight against such activities.
On Friday, the Government of Guyana issued a statement highlighting the threat transnational crime and narco-terrorism pose to regional security. The statement expressed grave concern over the risks to peace and stability in the region, pointing to organised criminal networks such as Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by some countries in the hemisphere.
“Such criminal networks have the capacity to overwhelm state institutions, undermine democracy, pervert the rule of law and threaten human dignity and development.
“The Government of Guyana underscores the necessity for strengthened cooperation and concerted efforts at the national, regional, hemispheric and global levels to effectively combat this menace,” the statement read.
Guyana reaffirmed its support for a collaborative and integrated approach to tackle transnational organised crime.
Three United States warships were ordered to deploy off the coast of Venezuela by US President Donald Trump as Washington sends its military to curb drug trafficking by Latin American crime cartels.

The reported deployment of the warships comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, after recently doubling a reward for his arrest to $50m on what the US claims are drug offences linked to cocaine trafficking.
The Guyana Government said, “We are committed to working with our bilateral partners to find meaningful solutions and will support regional and global initiatives aimed at dismantling criminal networks to safeguard our shared security. By confronting transnational organised crime and narco-terrorism with unity, we reaffirm our dedication to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that the region remains a zone of peace.”
TT stands with Guyana
Meanwhile, the Trinidad and Tobago government has declared its full support for the United States’ deployment of military assets in the Caribbean to combat transnational crime.
In a statement on Saturday, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, deemed the move a necessary response to spiralling crime in the region.
“The Trinidad and Tobago government has not engaged and has no intention of engaging CARICOM on this matter; each member state can speak for themselves on this issue,” the statement read.
It added that the U.S. government’s deployment of American military assets into the Caribbean region to destroy the terrorist drug cartels has the full support of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
“I want to make it very clear that if the Maduro regime launches any attack against the Guyanese people or invades Guyanese territory and a request is made by the American Government for access to Trinidadian territory to defend the people of Guyana, my government will unflinchingly provide them that access,” the Trinidadian government said.
Due to drug, human and firearms trafficking, Caribbean countries, and in particular Trinidad and Tobago, have experienced massive spikes in transnational crime, gang activity, murders, violence and financial crimes.
Cartels have been enabled to embed themselves into the high echelons of Caribbean societies, thereby exhibiting significant influence in political, legislative, media, banking, security and economic decisions, often rendering governments toothless to enact actual change to stop criminal activity.