President queried about aid to Haiti considering Guyana’s oil wealth

President Irfaan Ali has emphasized the interconnectedness of prosperity within the Caribbean region, stating that the wealth of Guyana will ultimately lead to the prosperity of the entire region.

At the closing of the March 11th CARICOM press conference in Jamaica on Haiti, a journalist inquired whether this country would be interested in making further investments in Haiti, noting the significant wealth being generated in Guyana from oil revenues.

“With all due respect Mr. President, you are very rich now in Guyana, getting a lot of money from oil, so I’m wondering if you are particularly interested in making more investments in Haiti,” the journalist asked.

In response, Ali expressed his desire for Guyana to ultimately become a prosperous nation and reiterated his commitment to supporting the development of the region as a whole.

Ali further highlighted Guyana’s past efforts to provide assistance to other CARICOM states in times of need, such as the response to a hurricane in Grenada. He emphasized that Guyana would not shy away from playing a role in supporting Haiti and other Caribbean nations in their development efforts.

“I am very happy for your statement that we are very rich… eventually we will and I’ve said this… I’ve made this loud and clear. The prosperity of Guyana will be the prosperity of this region, and I can’t say it louder than that. And, again, if you want to know how committed we are, recall the hurricane in Grenada… how Guyana responded… Guyana definitely will play a part. We will play a part. We’re not going to shy away from being a part of helping [our] sister CARICOM state, Haiti,” he stated.

The press conference dealt mainly with the increased gang violence in Haiti and the response of CARICOM and other countries to it.