Foreign ministers and security ministers from Chile, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia signed the Santiago Commitment this Thursday, a regional cooperation agreement on security, intelligence, and border control against transnational organized crime.
Chilean President José Antonio Kast inaugurated the meeting and warned that organized crime “is killing our young people, is subduing our neighborhoods, is buying wills.” He stressed that the region is going through a propitious moment to face the problem jointly and that neutrality towards organized mafias is not an option.
Chilean Chancellor Francisco Pérez Mackenna, host of the meeting, stated that national efforts are “insufficient” in the face of a trans-border threat. “This is starting to change,” he affirmed.
José Antonio Kast inaugurates the summit in Santiago and urges united action against organized crime and its impact on young people and the neighborhoods of the continent.
The document sets measures in five priority areas: information exchange between intelligence services, police and prosecutors; border coordination; traceability of illicit financial flows; cooperation between national technical bodies; and strengthening regional response mechanisms. The five countries will form a joint working group and review progress in 180 days.
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The Argentine Chancellor Pablo Quirno, present alongside the Minister of Security Alejandra Monteoliva, pointed out that the text “orders priorities, sets lines of work and offers a robust base” for cooperation to become an effective tool. The Bolivian Chancellor, Fernando Aramayo, agreed that the agreement is not a declaration of intent but an effort that must also involve civil societies.
The remaining three countries brought concrete diagnoses to Santiago regarding the advance of crime in their territories. Ecuador’s foreign minister, Gabriela Sommerfeld, highlighted the need to strengthen governmental capacities through joint actions, in a context of violence sustained by drug trafficking organizations.
The agreement brings together South American governments allied with the Americas Shield initiative, which seeks to curb international crime and China’s influence.
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The Peruvian Chancellor, Carlos Pareja, described the situation of crimes such as contract killings, extortion, and kidnappings as “alarming and growing”, and called for greater coordination against “these mafias that cross borders”. Bolivia, for its part, is going through strong internal instability due to massive protests demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz, which gives particular weight to Aramayo’s presence at the meeting.
With the exception of Peru —immersed in an electoral process—, all participating countries are governed by right-wing or far-right leaders who are part of the initiative Shield of the Americas, launched in March by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to combat international crime and counter China’s influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Kast mentioned “the recovery of control of the prisons in Argentina” as an example of regional policies that point in that direction. The meeting was also inaugurated by the Chilean Attorney General, Ángel Valencia, although his conference took place behind closed doors.
