Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, has tried to reassure the US that his country is ready to make sure the US has enough energy.
He said this while members of the House Ways and Means Committee from Congress were here laying the groundwork to replace China as Latin America and the Caribbean’s top business partner.
He said, “I even asked the Congressional delegation to make sure that Guyana and the US can move forward with the formal strategic partnership on energy security for the US and Guyana, climate security, and food security.”
After meeting with Ali, Jason Smith, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, released a statement in which he said that the goal of the Biden administration is to be the leader in developing, extracting, and selling Guyanese oil, and that increasing production could be very good for both the US and Guyana, as well as a blow to China’s efforts to become the world’s biggest energy producer.
“China is also involved in making oil in Guyana. China is a strong competitor around the world, and the U.S. needs to do everything it can to beat them. This means improving key American supply chains, making more affordable energy resources, and working better with allies in the Western Hemisphere and beyond. “Our delegation’s meetings have shown how U.S. bilateral relationships in the region help American workers and give countries that might otherwise focus their economies on China a much-needed alternative,” he said in a statement.
Both the government and the opposition of Guyana talked about relations with China and Venezuela when they met with the Congressional delegation. Over the years, Chinese companies have won big contracts to build infrastructure and given out loans worth many millions of dollars.
Ali said that Guyana is open to more American investors because the United States is a “trusted partner.”
“Guyana is and will remain an important strategic partner of the United States. The opportunities here are open to everyone, including the United States and your private sector, and we want to see more participation from the US private sector and the US here in Guyana. There is no way to question this plan. This is the government’s clear plan.”
Ali offered to lead “globally” in the area of climate services by working with the US at the next global climate summit, called Conference of the Parties.
“We want the US to be a part of this, and we want the US to be a strategic partner with us on the environment because we know how important this relationship is,” he said.
Sarah-Ann Lynch, the US Ambassador to Guyana, praised the government of Guyana for taking steps to modernize the country.
“We applaud the steps that the government of Guyana has taken to make this country so appealing to investors. They have been great partners when it comes to energy, farming, and safety. She said, “They are taking big risks to change the financial, education, health, and tourism sectors.”
Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Jason Smith, along with Terri Sewell, Carol Miller, Michelle Fischbach, Beth Van Duyne, Mike Carey, and Kelly Armstrong from the House Energy and Commerce Committee, made up the US delegation.
