By Radha Motielall
[www.inewsguyana.com] – President Donald Ramotar is expecting fruitful deliberations with US President Barrack Obama, in Jamaica.
Speaking with iNews via the telephone from his hotel in Jamaica, the President Ramotar said the meeting with Obama and the Caricom Heads of Government will commence at 13:00 hours and will focus on three broad areas, namely: crime and security, energy security and trade.
Asked about the possibility of the US President raising the issue of the Petro-Caribe deal Caricom has with Venezuela during the talks on energy security, Ramotar said it will make for an “interesting” discussion.
He reminded that Petro-Caribe has to date been very beneficial for the small economies in Caricom.
Meanwhile on the topic of crime and security, the Guyanese President anticipates a healthy conversation, noting that Guyana and the USA have had very good cooperation in this regard.
He recalled that on many occasions, the “good cooperation” between the two countries on crime and security was lauded by the US reps in Georgetown.
One pillar of the US security strategy is the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), which focuses on citizen safety throughout the hemisphere.
CBSI brings all members of the Caribbean Community and the Dominican Republic together to jointly collaborate on regional security with the United States as a partner.
The United States is making a significant contribution to CBSI, committing $263 million in funding since 2010.
