US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot last evening assured Guyana that it will not have to confront threats to its security on its own while declaring that Washington remains committed to supporting the country’s sovereignty and regional security.
Addressing the US Embassy’s Independence Day reception at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Theriot said Guyana faced “real threats from narco-traffickers, transnational criminal organizations, and those who challenge its sovereignty.”
“The United States has made clear that Guyana does not face those threats alone,” she said.
Theriot said the US commitment was reflected in its security agreements, military training programmes and defence cooperation with Guyana. Referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Georgetown in March 2025, she recalled that he had said any attack on Guyana “would be a very bad idea.”
“That wasn’t just a statement, it was a commitment,” she added.
Guyana has long looked to the US for support with threats from neighbouring Venezuela which has for decades laid claim to the country’s Essequibo region.
Theriot said that Guyana had demonstrated its own commitment to regional security as a founding member of the Shield of the Americas and the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition and noted that bilateral cooperation extended beyond defence to humanitarian assistance, law enforcement, healthcare, education and investment.
Addressing the reception, President Irfaan Ali said Guyana and the United States had never enjoyed a stronger relationship, describing the partnership as one founded on shared values and common strategic interests.
“I don’t think there has ever been a stronger relationship between Guyana and the United States than there is today,” Ali said.
He said too that the two countries’ relationship had evolved beyond traditional cooperation into what he described as a “security alliance,” anchored in the defence of democracy, the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Ali said the partnership was taking shape at a time when countries were confronting increasingly complex security challenges that extended well beyond conventional military threats.
He pointed to transnational crime, terrorism, trafficking networks and other cross-border threats as requiring greater collaboration among like-minded states and said Guyana was committed to strengthening cooperation with the United States and regional partners to address those challenges.
The President also underscored the importance of protecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, saying these principles remained fundamental to peace, stability and sustainable development.
At the same time, the President said the expanding security relationship should be matched by deeper economic engagement, encouraging increased US private sector investment in Guyana as the country pursues rapid economic transformation.
Ali said Guyana was seeking partnerships that would support innovation, infrastructure, energy, healthcare and human capital development while creating long-term opportunities for both countries.
Theriot, in outlining the breadth of bilateral cooperation, highlighted ongoing US-funded projects to enhance the capabilities of the Guyana Defence Force, training for the Guyana Police Force through the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, and medical missions conducted by US Southern Command personnel alongside Guyanese healthcare workers.
She also cited education exchanges, Peace Corps programmes and growing US private sector investment as evidence of an expanding relationship between the two countries.
The reception marked the 250th anniversary of American independence which is celebrated on July 4th.
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