Cooperative Republic of Guyana National Day

On behalf of the government and the people of the United States of America, I congratulate the people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana on your Independence Day. Yet it is with profound sadness that I also offer our sincerest condolences for the deadly fire at the Mahdia Secondary School Dormitory and the 19 Guyanese lives lost. We wish the government and people of Guyana comfort during this tragic time and send our deepest sympathies. We offer our heartfelt best wishes to the young women who survived, and we are keeping those who remain hospitalized close in our thoughts. We stand with the community of Mahdia and the people of Guyana.

The United States remains a committed partner. Across time, our shared values of democracy and resilience will continue to be cornerstones for our strong and vibrant bilateral relationship. Our two countries share strong educational, historic, economic, and cultural ties and we look forward to continuing our work together to strengthen commercial ties, to move towards net zero carbon emissions, promote accountability in governance, cooperate in the health sector, bolster human rights, and encourage stability in the region. We hope to expand cooperative opportunities in the security arena to jointly fight illicit activity. We celebrate our robust people-to-people ties, such as through our educational and professional exchanges, that strengthen the bonds of friendship between our citizens. We remain steadfast in our continued progress under the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis 2030 (PACC 2030) towards challenges such as climate change and food security in the coming year. We look forward to our continued collaboration and commitment to strengthening the ties between our two countries in the years to come.

Our thoughts are with you this Independence Day.