By Svetlana Marshall

As tension continues to rise in the Caribbean Sea with the US Military’s ongoing deadly strikes against suspected narco-traffickers, President Irfaan Ali has made it clear that his Administration has no sympathy for drug traffickers, and stands resolutely with the US in its fight to combat drug trafficking in the Region.

More than 95 suspected drug traffickers have been killed in the US military strikes on their boats. Many in the region and the international community have condemned the strikes and questioned their legality.

While making it clear that Guyana has not shifted its position, President Ali said the country has no sympathy for drug traffickers.

“Our position has not changed. I have said that Guyana we support every effort to combat illegal trade, drug trafficking and any form of smuggling. We have a strong partnership with the US and other international partners in dealing with every form of smuggling and drug trafficking. My administration has absolutely no sympathy for drug traffickers – tens of thousands, millions of lives are destroyed and also economies are destroyed by smuggling,” the President told News Source.

On Tuesday, President Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. He has been heaping pressure on the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with the hopes of having him step down on the grounds that he is an illegitimate president.

 “We also see our Region as one in which democracy must be able to strive, in which the rule of law must win every single day, in which the freedom of our people where ever they live and exist must be honored. And those are important elements of any modern society and we support the region as being a zone of people,” Ali said.

The seizure of the oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela has escalated tensions between Washington and Caracas, prompting concerns particularly among many of the region’s leaders. But President Ali believes that the actions of the US are intelligence led. 

 “The United States Government has access to more intelligence than any one of us, and you would have seen the statement from the US government speaking about sanctioned ship or individuals so you have to respect that these sanctions this is something we need to understand. Sanctions are a serious matter. And any action by the US in relation to its own sanctioning mechanism is a matter for the United States Government,” he said.

Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, during her recent address at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Awards Ceremony, warned that instability in the region could affect the economies.

Stating that solidarity is not merely a diplomatic legacy, but rather a fundamental act of economic self-preservation, Prime Minister Mottley said countries within the region must ensure that the rule of law is respected, and that the region as a zone of peace, is defended from all external pressures and installing threats.

But President Ali while emphasizing the need for the region to remain a zone of peace, said his primary responsibility is to the people of Guyana. He said as President, he will act in their interest.

Venezuela, he added, has threatened Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with claims to the country’s territory, and increasing acts of aggression.

“You know that we have a peculiar situation in Guyana. We just had Venezuelans being charged for terrorist activities in Guyana that claimed the life of young people. We have a border situation to manage, we have an active threat from Venezuela on the sovereignty of this country and my responsibility is to keep Guyanese safe, to keep Guyana safe and to work with all of our allies and partners in doing that,” the Guyanese Head of State said.

On Wednesday, Venezuela approached the United Nations Security Council requesting that a meeting be convened to discuss the “ongoing U.S aggression” against the country.

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