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Quito.- Ecuador and the United States signed an Implementation Letter this Monday in Quito, the Andean country’s capital, to launch the ‘Secure Border Strategy,’ a bilateral cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening border security, which will be implemented first on the northern border with Colombia and aspires to be replicated in other areas of the country.
n” “nThe agreement was signed by the U.S. Government, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defense, and the National Customs Service of Ecuador.
n” “nFurthermore, as detailed by the United States Embassy in Ecuador, the strategy includes technical assistance, training, equipment, exchange of best practices, and operational coordination to improve prevention, detection, and response to threats in border areas, as well as land, maritime, and air routes.
n” “nLawrence Petroni, U.S. Chief of Mission in Ecuador, pointed out during the signing that the letter constitutes a strategic tool to face threats that “do not respect borders” and affect the “security of citizens”.
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n” “nInterior Minister John Reimberg, for his part, highlighted that borders are “a nation’s first line of security” and noted that the signing of the project represents “a significant step” toward building “sustainable solutions” to criminal phenomena that “do not recognize geographical boundaries.”
Secure Border Strategy
n” “nReimberg added that the pilot plan will begin in the Andean province of Carchi, bordering Colombia, and that the project will be developed with a long-term vision, over the next two years, to build “a comprehensive model that can become a reference for other strategic areas of Ecuador”.
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The United States Embassy in Ecuador emphasized that this project “responds to previously identified operational needs regarding border security and is unrelated to the current electoral processes in Colombia or their results.”
n” “nIn fact, they added that, “where appropriate, the project will also be able to facilitate binational coordination with Colombia”.
n” “nFor his part, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo highlighted that the northern border “has been exploited for too long” and stated that “between 70% and 80% of the cocaine produced in southern Colombia” enters Ecuador through that area.
n” “nThe minister maintained that the Secure Border Strategy «is much more than an instrument of cooperation» and constitutes the recognition that «no transnational threat can be defeated alone».
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