Noem met with Guyana, Costa Rica, Honduras and Dominican Republic heads of Sttat
Georgetown, Mar 24 (EFE).-
The United States special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, Kristi Noem, visited Guyana on Tuesday to discuss the fight against drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations with local authorities.
Noem is scheduled to meet with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali, a member of the Shield of the Americas initiative launched on March 7, as well as other political and military leaders of the country.
The former US Secretary of Homeland Security is also expected to meet with representatives of American energy companies involved in Guyana’s oil projects, notably ExxonMobil.
According to a statement from the US Embassy in Georgetown, Noem’s visit highlights “the integral partnership” between the two countries on “shared security priorities in the region.”
These priorities include dismantling drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, combating arms trafficking, and illegal immigration.
Guyana and the US have strengthened their alliance in recent years due to the ongoing dispute between the South American country and neighboring Venezuela over the Essequibo region, which is administered by Georgetown but claimed by Caracas.
Before traveling to Guyana, the senior US official visited other countries in the region, including the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Costa Rica.
The US Embassy in Costa Rica published a statement highlighting Noem’s “final act as Secretary”: signing a non-binding migration cooperation agreement, which allows the US to propose the transfer of foreign nationals, who are not US citizens, to Costa Rica, which can accept or reject each case independently.
The US official thanked on Tuesday president Donald Trump for entrusting her to “lead the department leading the fight to Make America Safe Again,” and added that, as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, she will “build on the years of national security expertise” she gained during her time as “Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor of South Dakota, and Congresswoman on the House Armed Services Committee.” EFE
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