as the Trump administration ramps up engagement in the Western Hemisphere to promote energy independence and curb illegal migration, drug trafficking and gang violence.

Rubio was making a brief stop in Georgetown for talks with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali and other officials before travelling to Suriname for an even shorter visit to Paramaribo.

Guyana, which has significant offshore oil deposits, could play a key role in the Republican administration’s attempts to wean the region from imports of Venezuelan energy, against which President Donald Trump has imposed major sanctions.

It also has a troubled relationship with neighbouring Venezuela. Earlier this month, it denounced an incursion by an armed Venezuelan naval vessel in disputed waters where ExxonMobil is developing a mammoth oil deposit. (Jamaica Gleaner/AP)