Guyana’s President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of War Joseph M. Humire at State House in Georgetown, on September 8. The Head of State emphasized that “the sovereignty and defence of Guyana are central priorities” for his government.
He said the talks centered on “strengthening and expanding Guyana’s strategic partnership with the United States, with a shared commitment to peace and security across the region.”
Humire and his delegation were accompanied by the United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot.
Also present were Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud, National Security Advisor Captain Gerry Gouveia, Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Omar Khan, and Head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency Colonel Sheldon Howell. The discussions followed a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding to enhance security cooperation, with a particular focus on narcotics trafficking and transnational organized crime.
The meeting also comes as the U.S. has significantly increased its naval presence in the southern Caribbean, deploying seven to eight warships along with a nuclear submarine, and over 4,500 personnel in what it calls an “enhanced counter-narcotics operation”.
These forces include guided-missile destroyers, an amphibious assault ship, an amphibious transport dock, a guided-missile cruiser, a littoral combat ship, and a nuclear fast-attack submarine.
On September 2, the U.S. Navy carried out an airstrike that sank an alleged Tren de Aragua drug vessel in the southern Caribbean, killing 11 individuals – a dramatic escalation of military involvement in regional counter-drug efforts. In response, two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets conducted a flyover of the USS Jason Dunham, a U.S. destroyer deployed in the area.
