GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Guyana on Friday, saying the government in neighboring Venezuela is illegitimate and must leave power.

Pompeo made the remarks at a news conference with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali. Pompeo is on a four-nation swing through South America. He has visited Suriname and, following the Guyana visit, was headed to northern Brazil before a stopover in Colombia on the way back to the United States.

The U.S. has set aside $5 million to help Guyanese authorities deal with more than 30,000 refugees who have fled from Venezuela to Guyana in recent years. Washington blames the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for the deterioration of the country's economy, basic services and democratic institutions, though U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó has been unable to win over the military and has lost the support of some opposition figures.

“We know two things. The Maduro regime has decimated the people of Venezuela and that Maduro himself is an indicted narcotics trafficker. This means he has to leave," Pompeo said.

Maduro says the U.S. seeks to stage a coup in Venezuela and that U.S. sanctions have hobbled the economy.