Suriname, Guyana: On 17 September US Secretary of State
Michael Pompeo travelled to Suriname and Guyana as part of a three-day whistle-stop tour of South America, which also took him to Brazil and Colombia. According to a US State Department press release, the purpose of Pompeo’s trip was to promote Washington’s commitment to defending democracy, combating coronavirus (Covid-19), and strengthening security against regional threats. In Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, Pompeo - the first US Secretary of State to visit the country in four and a half decades - met Suriname’s new President
Chandrikapersad Santokhi and his cabinet, to discuss increased bilateral co-operation and opportunities for partnerships in energy and security. A US State Department press release noted that Suriname has large offshore oil reserves, and Pompeo was due to meet local representatives of “
US mining and oil companies that are part of this sector’s critical investment in Suriname’s prosperity and future growth”. Pompeo then went to Guyana - the first visit by a US Secretary of State since Guyana gained independence in 1966 - where he met newly-elected President
Irfaan Ali and his cabinet, as well as Caribbean Community (Caricom) secretary-general
Irwin LaRocque. According to the press release, Pompeo “
reinforced the promise of a values-based US partnership, highlighting opportunities for more responsible and transparent private sector investment to increase prosperity for the people of Guyana, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
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