Guyana will be pursuing an exemption from replacement tariffs announced this week by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Robert Persaud said in a statement. He said Guyana remains focused on finalising an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade that reflects the strength and maturity of the US-Guyana relationship.
Persaud said Guyana has taken note of the tariff action, which does not represent a new or additional burden on Guyanese exporters. It replaces the 10 per cent global tariff that expired under Section 122 of the Trade Act on 24 July and follows a broader trajectory — a 38 per cent rate announced in April 2025, down to 15 per cent, and now to 12.5 per cent.
He said it was important that the action be understood in its proper context, arising from a domestic US legal and policy process following the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this year on the limits of executive tariff authority. It applies to 60 US trading partners across every region of the world, including Canada, the European Union, Trinidad and Tobago, India and Venezuela, among others.
Persaud said the measure is not a judgment on Guyana, which was neither singled out nor treated differently from dozens of other economies navigating the same recalibration. He noted that 16 countries will face continued investigations, of which Guyana is not a part.
Guyana remains firmly committed to its partnership with the United States, Persaud said, adding that officials continue to work closely with USTR and other US counterparts, most recently through direct engagement at the July hearings, which Guyana voluntarily availed itself of to reinforce its position that it is not aware of evidence showing that goods produced through forced labour are being manufactured in, imported into or exported from Guyana.
Persaud said the process will continue on the basis of facts, mutual respect and shared interest.
