Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden during a visit to the White House on December 19.
Presidential advisor Chris Dodd recently met with President Lasso and presented him with an invitation for a visit where both leaders will be able to discuss issues such as «Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war in Ukraine», according to a White House press release.
The leaders are expected to have the opportunity to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries and discuss regional economic integration initiatives, including the recently announced Partnership of the Americas for Economic Prosperity, as well as economic and security cooperation and Ecuador’s leadership in regional migration.
In this context, the US Congress has approved this Thursday the bipartisan US-Ecuador Partnership Act, being this the first time that a concrete regulation is developed to strengthen the relationship between both countries, as reported by Ecuavisa, the Ecuadorian TV channel.
«The bipartisan U.S.-Ecuador Partnership 2022 bill, which strengthens cooperation in security matters, was approved tonight as part of Annual National Defense Legislation. It is a show of confidence in the country,» commented Ecuador’s foreign minister, Juan Carlos Holguín, through his social networks.
The law includes issues of mutual interest such as the strengthening of democratic institutions, the promotion of inclusive growth, environmental conservation initiatives and the fight against corruption and crime, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In addition, the regulation would authorize the transfer of two excess coast guard vessels to the Government of Ecuador to support the protection of the Galapagos Marine Reserve, the deterrence of illegal fishing and the interdiction of drug trafficking, according to the Ecuadorian newspaper ‘El Universo’.
