Ecuador strengthens ties with United States: Antony Blinken meets with President-elect Guillermo Lasso and says relationship “is growing”

U.S. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken had a phone conversation with Ecuador’s President-elect Guillermo Lasso on Friday, whom he congratulated on his victory in the April 11 poll.

“Our relationship with Ecuador is solid and growing stronger. I am happy to speak with President-elect Guillermo Lasso about how we can work together to strengthen our economies, restore democracy in Venezuela and create a safer region for the benefit of all. “Blinken wrote on his Twitter account of the dialogue.

A State Department statement on Friday said that, during said conversation, Blinken expressed his “deep gratitude” to Ecuador for hosting hundreds of thousands of migrants from Venezuela and reiterated US support for help them.

Both affirmed to work with partners to restore democracy in Venezuela, and Secretary Blinken expressed his deep gratitude that Ecuador hosts more than 430,000 Venezuelan migrants, while reiterating the continued commitment of the United States to support Ecuador to help it meet its growing humanitarian needs ”.the US State Department document said.

The US Secretary of State had already underlined in an April 13 statement his interest in working with Lasso, who will take office on May 24, to strengthen the bilateral relationship.

On Friday, he reiterated the United States’ commitment to cooperate with Ecuador to revitalize the two economies in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic.

“The secretary and president-elect discussed strengthening the already vibrant bilateral cooperative relationship between the United States and Ecuador in the areas of trade and investment, governance, security, anti-human rights issues. drugs, human rights and regional issues “. the State Department reported.

Lasso, a 65-year-old former banker, won in the second round against left-wing economist Andrés Arauz, the runner-up to former socialist president Rafael Correa (2007-2017).

The United States and Ecuador maintained strained relations during the decade of the correista government. But current President Lenín Moreno, a former ally of Correa, has taken a turn in the foreign policy of his predecessor by getting closer to Washington.

Lasso, who like Moreno and the United States government ignores Nicolás Maduro’s tenure in Venezuela because he considers his re-election fraudulent, has promised to regularize the migratory situation of Venezuelans in Ecuador for “humanitarian reasons”.

“Without a doubt, this places greater stress on the Ecuadorian economy at a time when there are no jobs for Ecuadorians, but we will call on international financial support to fund regularization and development projects. incorporation into the economy, “he announced after his victory.

According to UN figures, there are 5.4 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the world, less than half of whom have documents.

Likewise, the US foreign minister expressed Washington’s commitment to maintain bilateral cooperation to revitalize their economies after the pandemic.

On April 13, the United States government expressed its willingness to work with Lasso, and his vice president, Alfredo Borrero, after his inauguration on May 24 after his electoral victory. EFE

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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