[[File:Secretary Pompeo Has Dinner with Guyanese President Ali (50368582861).jpg|thumb|Ali with U.S. secretary of state [[Mike Pompeo]], September 2020]]
In September 2020, in a joint statement with the [[United States]] [[United States Secretary of State|secretary of state]] [[Mike Pompeo]], Ali said the two countries would begin joint maritime patrols aimed at drug interdiction near Guyana's [[GuayanaGuyana–Venezuela Esequibaterritorial dispute|disputed border]] with [[Crisis in Venezuela|crisis-stricken Venezuela]].<ref name="Jointmaritime" >[https://www.stabroeknews.com/2020/09/18/news/guyana/joint-guyana-us-maritime-air-patrols-could-begin-as-early-as-monday/ Joint Guyana-US maritime, air patrols could begin as early as Monday]. 18 September 2020. ''Stabroek News''. Retrieved 19 September 2020.</ref> The agreement came as U.S. oil major [[Exxon Mobil Corp]], as part of a consortium with [[Hess Corp]], ramped up crude output from Guyana's massive offshore [[Petroleum industry in Guyana|Stabroek block]], a large portion of which is in waters claimed by Venezuela.<ref name="Jointmaritime" /> Pompeo and Ali added that "greater security, greater capacity to understand your border space, what's happening inside your Exclusive Economic Zone - those are all things that give Guyana sovereignty."<ref>Cohen, Luc (18 September 2020), [https://www.marinelink.com/news/us-guyana-launch-joint-maritime-patrols-481805 US, Guyana to Launch Joint Maritime Patrols Near Venezuela]. . ''MarineLink''. Retrieved 19 September 2020.</ref>
