By Tracey Khan – Drakes

President Donald Ramotar. [iNews’ Photo]

[www.inewsguyana.com] – President Donald Ramotar will join his Caricom counterparts on April 9, 2015 in Jamaica for a meeting with United States (US) President Barack Obama.

The President is expected to use the meeting to focus on rekindling trade and investment relations with the US and the wider international community.

During his weekly post cabinet media briefing on Wednesday March 25, the government’s spokesman, Dr. Roger Luncheon explained it is imperative that this is done since the country’s image has been hurt significantly after Blackstone group pulled out of funding the Amaila Falls Hydro power project.

“We have been hurt particularly by Amaila and the incredible abandonment of Blackstone and Site Global whole deal on Amaila and we need to rekindle interest, maintain the level of interest of investors in Guyana, particularly as it relates to its developmental agenda,” Dr. Luncheon stressed.

He said Guyana will be pursuing additional support in the security even though improvements have been made in this regard.

“Where security is concerned, I think it’s fair to say that our collaboration with the international community in responding to the international crime scene, those new forms of international criminal behavior we would again be expected to be pursing greater and greater support particularly in the United States of America with their Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.”

The Caricom/US summit will be chaired by the current Chairman of Caricom, Prime Minister Perry Christie of The Bahamas and co-chaired by President Obama.

President Obama’s visit will take place on the eve of the Summit of the Americas to be held in Panama on the 10th and 11th of April. It is unclear whether President Ramotar will attend the Summit of the Americas, according to Luncheon.