The joint security plan between Ecuador and the United States will last five years

Since January 23, President Biden’s special adviser on America, Christopher Doddand Commander of the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Gen Laura RichardsonMeetings have been held with high officials of the Ecuadorian government, including the President Daniel Noboa. The visit is a sign of US support for Ecuador following an escalation in violence. In addition to the delivery of equipment and financing for law enforcement, the United States has explained that it has planned a five-year security plan for Ecuador based on a maritime cooperation agreement between the two nations.

“We have a lot of things that we’ve done with Ecuador recently. For example, a security assistance roadmap called ESAR with Ecuador. And there is only one other country in the region with which we have signed this roadmap. That is five year plan.

, establishes a roadmap for the security cooperation we will pursue. “We’ve created a bilateral defense working group and that’s how we exchange between the Pentagon and Ecuador,” Commander Richardson told Ecuadorian media Premisias.

Besides, Richardson suggested that Ecuador has also approved “the framework under which US military personnel operate in a foreign country”. On January 24, the Constitutional Court (CC) determined that an agreement between Ecuador and the United States, known as the “Agreement on Actions Against Illegal International Maritime Activities,” did not need to be approved by the legislature, so it could . If Noboa ratifies it. The agreement was signed on September 27, 2023, a month before Guillermo Lasso ended his presidential term, and aimed at drug trafficking, migration, weapons of mass destruction. Joint operations are to be undertaken to combat illegal international maritime activities such as large-scale and illegal fishing.

Responding to the urgent need to combat organized crime at the international level, the main objective for both nations is to prevent, identify, combat and block illegal transnational maritime activities. In addition, it establishes regulations for aircraft, authorities and vessels belonging to law enforcement agencies or organizations of both countries; These should be clearly identified and have relevant authorization from the concerned state.

These agreements, the commander suggested, would allow for a larger US military presence in Ecuador

“Cooperation on security, mobile training teams, thematic exchange, exchange of small and medium-sized enterprises, etc.” Richardson explained First fruits That, for example, the Joint Interagency Task Force South for the Detection and Monitoring of Illicit Sea and Air Drug Trafficking, based in Key West (Florida), conducts missions in the Galapagos due to illegal activities detected around the archipelago.

Regarding the high-level talks she held this week, the US commander said “the purpose of the meetings was to listen. We met with the president and the cabinet… The meeting focused on security and the current situation in Ecuador, Tremendous efforts to combat criminal activities, President Noboa’s decision to declare those 22 gangs as terrorist organizations and authorize the military and the police to work together, which is very important and they have performed very well in that mission.…(Also) it was really good to meet the Attorney General and hear his perspective. We also visited the National Police Commander and the Minister of Government and Home Affairs. Richardson announced that he would also visit the Defense Minister, the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Military High Command.

The Commander’s agenda will end with that A donation of USD 1 million On military forces and risk and emergency service equipment: “We already have a very solid investment portfolio with Ecuador. Obviously, it’s about time. And it’s about cooperation between military forces between the United States Southern Command and the Ecuadorian Army. So our portfolio is worth $93.4 million and includes not only the transfer of military equipment, but also humanitarian aid and disaster response, professional military training.

Historically, Ecuador and the United States have maintained stable and friendly bilateral relations: “The United States team is here to partner with Ecuador… We have a very large and solid security and cooperation investment portfolio; Like-minded democracies work together to identify and counter threats. And we have a lot of work to do. Not that we haven’t already done that. But we’re going to continue that close relationship,” Richardson told Ecuadorian media.