Guyana, other CARICOM states to attend Summit of the Americas as concerns being addressed

Guyana will be attending the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, California, to discuss high-priority matters, President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said.

“There are a number of issues that we have to discuss as a region including climate change, energy security and food security and we want to be part of those conversations.

“And in that light, we will be attending the summit,” President Ali said at the sidelines of a press conference on Sunday at State House.

This summit is a meeting of leaders of countries in the Organization of American States (OAS). This year it will be held in the week of June 6 to 10, in the United States of America (USA).

Ahead of the meeting, in April, US Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols reportedly said that the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are likely to be excluded.

Member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have discussed a potential boycott of the US-hosted summit if Cuba and Venezuela are excluded. CARICOM maintains that the meeting should be an inclusive one.

With this position, President Ali highlighted that the CARICOM Heads of Government have raised concerns over the exclusion of Cuba with the US government.

And he said, “… in raising those issues, we have seen some movement in the positive direction, what we want is to see this continue.”

The Guyanese Head-of-State also emphasised that CARICOM leaders agree that a “stronger relationship” of enhanced cooperation and dialogue must be forged between Cuba and the US.

Meanwhile, Trinidadian Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley also signaled his intention to attend the summit.

“… I will be attending the summit and I expect that if not all, a majority of my CARICOM colleagues will be there and we have serious and interesting matters to engage the US on and we look forward to that,” Dr. Rowley said at a press conference held in a Trinidad, hours after his departure from Guyana.

Dr. Rowley noted that he and other CARICOM Heads of Government, including Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, had engaged the host country on the inclusion of all countries in the hemisphere over the past few weeks.

The Summit of the Americas is organised by the OAS and a host country every few years. It is the largest gathering of Western Hemisphere leaders.