Prime Minister (PM) Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips called on defence leaders across the hemisphere to strengthen collective security, deepen cooperation and adopt unified responses to the evolving threats facing the Americas.

In his address to Defence Ministers on Wednesday at the XVII Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas (CDMA), he emphasised that the region must move beyond fragmented approaches to security and act as a cohesive zone.

“The principles of collective security, mutual respect, and stability that have bound us together since 1995 are not mere historical relics; they are our guiding stars today more than ever,” the PM is quoted as saying in a press release from the Office of the Prime Minister, while reaffirming Guyana’s commitment to peace, international law and the peaceful settlement of disputes.