Latest update March 26th, 2026 7:55 AM
Rubio’s talks with Pres. Ali to focus heavily on oil and security threats from Venezuela—says US Special envoy
Kaieteur News- Talks between President Irfaan Ali and US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio will focus heavily on oil production and will ensure that Guyana has the necessary security amid Venezuelan threats, U.S. Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone said on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio
Rubio will be visiting Guyana this week as part of a Caribbean tour that includes Jamaica and Suriname and will discuss energy security in the Caribbean, illegal immigration and dismantling of transnational criminal networks, Reuters reported on Tuesday. While in Jamaica, the Secretary also will hold bilateral engagements with heads of state from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti. “Secretary Rubio’s engagements with our valued Caribbean partners will promote regional cooperation to end illegal immigration, counter transnational organised crime, strengthen regional actions to address Haiti’s political and security challenges, and strengthen the United States’ economic partnerships with Caribbean countries,” the US Department of State said in a statement last week.
Speaking at a briefing on Tuesday, Claver-Carone told reporters that U.S. accusations about a labour programme that sends Cuban workers, particularly medics, overseas was also going to be among the topics that Rubio will tackle with his counterparts.
Washington has threatened to halt visas for government officials in countries that receive Cuban doctors, whom it says are being exploited. In response, many Caribbean leaders have said they adhere to international labour standards and that the medical services Cubans provide are essential. According to an internal memo seen by Reuters earlier this month, a number of small Caribbean nations with citizen-by-investment (CBI) programs could also see wider visa restrictions. “CBI should not be a major part of these smaller islands’ GDP,” Claver-Carone said, saying these attract “nefarious actors from China, Iran and other countries into the Americas, which then becomes a security challenge for all of us.”
President Donald Trump has floated a similar programme, in which foreigners could access U.S. citizenship via a US$5 million “gold card.” On energy, Claver-Carone also signaled Washington would support oil production in Guyana and Suriname, and that it wanted to “make sure that Guyana has the security necessary” amid a territorial dispute with neighbouring Venezuela.
“That’ll be where a lot of our conversations will be focused,” he said of developing the region’s oil output, adding that Washington does not see renewables as a substitute. Despite producing few emissions, the Caribbean’s high debt loads and low-lying geography make it among the most vulnerable regions in the world to the impacts of climate change. Trump on Monday issued an executive order declaring that any country buying oil or gas from Venezuela, which has historically exported its oil across the Caribbean, will pay a 25% tariff on trade with the U.S.
President, Irfaan Ali
Earlier this month an armed Venezuelan patrol ship, Guaiquerí (PO 11), illegally entered Guyana’s shores and threatened ExxonMobil Guyana’s Floating Production Storage Offloading (FPSO) vessel, Liza Prosperity. President Irfaan Ali in response said that Guyana will not allow Venezuela nor its president Nicholas Maduro to threaten its sovereignty or territorial integrity. The Venezuelan patrol vessel at the time of the incursion transmitted a radio message declaring what it termed “disputed international waters” before continuing its course in a south westerly direction towards other FPSOs. President Ali had made it clear that all of Guyana’s assets and the FPSO are lawfully operating within Guyana’s own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
U.S. Special Envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone
“Let me be unequivocal, Guyana’s Maritime boundaries are recognised under international [law] and this incursion is a matter of grave concern,” President Ali said at the time. The Stabroek Block is being operated by U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil Guyana and its partners and contains approximately 11.6B barrels of oil. Guyana had summoned Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Carlos Perez, to protest the act of aggression. It also informed its partners, the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Regional Security System (RSS), and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
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(Rubio’s talks with Pres. Ali to focus heavily on oil and security threats from Venezuela—says US Special envoy )
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