Rubio visits Guyana as part of his Caribbean tour to promote energy independence and curb migration
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Thursday in Guyana, the second leg of a three-nation tour of the Caribbean, as the Trump administration ramps up engagement in the Western Hemisphere to promote energy independence and curb illegal migration, drug trafficking and gang violence.
Rubio was making a brief stop in Georgetown for talks with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and other officials before traveling to Suriname for an even shorter visit to Paramaribo.
Guyana, which has significant offshore oil deposits, could play a key role in the Republican administration's attempts to wean the region from imports of Venezuelan energy, against which President Donald Trump has imposed major sanctions.
It also has a troubled relationship with neighboring Venezuela. Earlier this month, it denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters where ExxonMobil is developing a mammoth oil deposit.
Ali said on March 1 that the Venezuelan ship passed close to several huge vessels used to store oil being produced by three oilfields operated by Exxon and partners Hess Corp. and CNOOC of China in the Stabroek Block, which contains an estimated 11 billion barrels of oil.
'Further provocation will result in consequences for the Maduro regime,' the State Department said at the time, referring to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Trump administration has since announced severe sanctions, including 25% tariffs on goods produced in countries that import Venezuelan oil.
Rubio is expected to sign a security cooperation agreement with Guyana's foreign minister, according to the State Department, which did not preview specifics of the pact. Guyana is already part of the U.S.-created Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
Since ExxonMobil made its major oil discovery in Guyana in 2015, Venezuela has revived a century-old territorial dispute with Guyana and taken steps to annex the remote Essequibo region, which comprises about two-thirds of Guyana's land mass.
Maduro's government has called Guyana's development of the oil fields 'illegal.'
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