Washington .- The president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, visited the Pentagon in Washington this Monday and held talks with the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, regarding the ongoing regional security cooperation between both countries.
“You have been an exemplary partner to us in the fight against these networks that threaten your homeland, that threaten ours, and the security of our shared hemisphere,” Hegseth thanked Noboa, according to a conversation shared by the Pentagon.
Noboa, who traveled to the United States to watch Ecuador’s opening game against Ivory Coast in Philadelphia on Sunday, thanked Hegseth for their joint work.
Subsequently, the Secretary of War expressed his gratitude to the Ecuadorian leader for “being a founding member of President Trump’s Shield of the Americas program and our American Coalition against Cartels, ‘The Triple C’.”
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Security cooperation
The Ecuadorian president described the meeting as an opportunity to update the work carried out jointly in recent weeks and added that it was a conversation pending since February, the last time they met.
Hegseth wished Noboa that his country achieves a good performance in the World Cup and said he hopes the Ecuadorian national team can “offer more” in the remaining games.
Ecuador and the United States have strengthened their security cooperation with intelligence sharing, armed forces training, and support in operations against drug trafficking and organized crime.
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They have also promoted regional initiatives such as the Coalition against Cartels and military and police coordination programs to combat transnational networks.
However, this collaboration has received criticism from human rights organizations due to the militarization of security in Ecuador, mass arrests, and the use of states of emergency.
Various human rights organizations have pointed out that these measures may affect due process and basic guarantees, and are calling for greater oversight to prevent abuses in the context of the fight against crime.
