Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Ministry of the Presidency, May 21, 2017) – President David Granger, (on Sunday), said that global partnerships to combat terrorism cannot exclude small states, since conflict between and within such states, or between a small state and other states, can endanger the peace of all countries.
The Head of State, who was at the time speaking on the side lines of the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said that the majority of the states of the world can be described as small states and, as such, the world cannot be made secure without addressing the threats faced by those countries. “The international community, therefore, must be encouraged to work towards the establishment of a global security system, which would provide protection for small and large states,” the President said.
The Guyanese Leader added that small states like Guyana, lacking the means to combat transnational threats, such as terrorism, must be able to rely on the protection afforded through international cooperation, multilateralism and international law. Small states, he noted, lack the capability to effectively combat transnational security threats on their own and also face environmental threats, such as the adverse effects of climate change and natural disasters, which can have implications for their security.
