U.S. Eyes Deeper Investment & Security Ties With Guyana 

News Americas, New York, NY, March 27, 2025: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio today praised Guyana as one of the most exciting places in the world right now, citing its transformational economic opportunities and strategic importance to the United States during a high-level meeting in Georgetown with President Irfaan Ali.

Welcoming Rubio, President Ali commended him as “one of our strongest voices in the U.S.,” noting Rubio’s longstanding advocacy on issues crucial to Guyana, including democracy, security, and peace.

“You’ve always kept what is relevant to Guyana at the forefront – your voice is well-known, respected, and very loud,” Ali said with a smile, jokingly adding they had hoped to host him as a senator, “but we have you as Secretary of State – and in a very important role.”

Rubio, who was sworn in just nine weeks ago, underscored the significance of Guyana as a vital partner in the region. “There is no other place with the kind of horizons you have over the next five to ten years,” he said. “We’re neighbors, we’ll always be neighbors, and we want to build on that partnership in a way that’s mutually beneficial.”

Rubio reaffirmed the U.S.’ commitment to supporting Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity amid recent tensions, emphasizing that American companies stand ready to invest in alignment with Guyana’s laws and long-term vision.

“We want your country to be safe, secure, and prosperous for all your citizens… and to serve as an example,” Rubio stated. “The stronger you are, the stronger we are.”

“It will be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they were to attack Guyana or attack ExxonMobil or anything like – it would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them. And it would not end well for them,” Rubio later said at a press conference. “I’m not going to get into details of what we’ll do; we’re not big on those kinds of threats. I think everybody understands, and I want it to be clear – we’ve made this clear repeatedly – I think the U.S. Navy today is making it clear and demonstrating our ability to – we have a big navy and it can get almost anywhere in the – it can get anywhere in the world. And we have commitments that exist today with Guyana. We want to build on those and expand on those. And we’ll leave it for the appropriate time, but suffice it to say that if that regime were to do something such as that, it would be a very bad move. It would be a big mistake for them.”

The Secretary of State also acknowledged the growing U.S. cabinet-level interest in the South American nation, saying, “There’s an increasing team of us in the President’s cabinet who are excited about all the opportunities we have together.”

Rubio’s visit marks his first official trip to Guyana in his new role, reinforcing a deepening U.S.-Guyana alliance amid the country’s historic oil boom and expanding role on the global stage.