Guillermo Lasso spoke with Victoria Nuland, US Undersecretary for Political Affairs.

Trade and security were the focus of the dialogue between the President of the Republic, Guillermo Lasso, and Victoria Nuland, Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the United States Department of State.

The meeting took place on the morning of this Wednesday, April 16, in Quito, as part of the official agenda of the US official in Ecuador, which includes the signing of an open skies agreement.

The president shared images of the meeting with Nuland on social networks, which included the participation of Michael J. Fitzpatrick, United States ambassador to Ecuador, as well as the Secretary of Public Security, Diego Ordóñez, and Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Holguín , among others.

“My meeting with the Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the United States gives me the satisfaction of agreeing on the need to expand our trade relations and find an element of cooperation in matters of security, defense and combating organized crime”, was the message Lasso posted on Twitter.

In a joint statement it was indicated that each delegation highlighted the urgent need to confront international organized crime, cooperate with anti-drug operations and increase security in the region.

In addition, the representatives of each country discussed initiatives to benefit the most vulnerable populations, mainly in the border provinces of northern Ecuador, new programs to reduce chronic child malnutrition, and the need for policies to encourage safe, regulated migration. and orderly.

Undersecretary Nuland arrived in the country this Wednesday to lead an expanded bilateral political dialogue with her Ecuadorian counterparts.

With her came a delegation from Washington DC made up of Mark Wells, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere and Andean Affairs; Charisse Phillips, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Drug Enforcement and Counternarcotics Affairs; and Peter Natiello, deputy director of Latin America and the Caribbean at the Agency for International Development (USAID).

Regarding the official visit, Ambassador Fitzpatrick stressed that the dialogue reaffirms the support of the United States with Ecuador in terms of democratic governance, regional security, human rights, as well as regional migration management, support for vulnerable populations, and climate change. (YO)