Pompeo’s visit
The Shiprider Agreement allows US entry into Guyana’s maritime and air space, with Guyana’s permission.
The Shiprider Agreement will inevitably offend Venezuela, which has consistently undertaken aggressive and hostile activities against Guyana’s territory and economic interests and the development of its petroleum industry. Shouldn’t Guyana be offended by Venezuela’s decades- long behaviour? Since the Shiprider Agreement is confined to Guyana’s lawful, internationally recognized, maritime boundaries, it cannot be argued that it is directed against Venezuela as its objective is only to protect and defend the interests of the signatories.
The separate Framework Agreement seeks to strengthen cooperation on energy and other infrastructure finance and market building between the two countries. It underlines the importance of promoting foreign investment for economic and social growth and development. The agreement emphasizes that open, competitive procurement processes promote competition, transparency and investment and offers US assistance in addressing the various policy, legal, regulatory, institutional and market barriers that can impede the flow of private capital. The
Procurement Commission, a sore issue for the PPP, will hopefully be reconstituted.
The Government did not see it fit to notify the National Assembly by way of a Statement by a Minister of the Secretary’s visit, one of the most important in Guyana’s history and of historic significance. Even if details of the visit and agenda had not yet been settled, broad areas of interest between the two countries are known to exist and could have been emphasized. Such a Statement welcoming the Secretary of State of the United States to Guyana would have added the necessary gravitas to the visit. Having regard to the Speaker’s decision to decline to entertain Opposition Questions on the ground that they were not urgent, the visit of the Secretary being the following day, the Minister could have held an immediate press conference to answer them. They posed little or no difficulty and the public and Opposition were entitled to an assurance that in the discussions the US, Guyana’s national interest will be safeguarded.