Ecuador and the United States signed a regional memorandum of understanding on Tuesday (14.09.2021/XNUMX/XNUMX) to exchange information to combat drug trafficking, the US Embassy in Quito and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Defense reported.
The instrument, called Cooperative System for Integration of Situational Information (CSII) will facilitate the exchange of data on suspected illicit trafficking activities, the statement said.
The memorandum was signed by the head of the United States Southern Command, Admiral Craig Faller, representing the US Department of Defense, and by the head of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Ecuador, Vice Admiral Jorge Cabrera.
During the signing ceremony of the agreement at the Ministry of Defense, Admiral Faller highlighted that This memorandum of understanding is part of a regional effort to combat transnational crime.
“This system, in which many of Ecuador’s neighbors participate, allows countries to share information to combat drug trafficking and provide data that can be used to provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, among other priorities,” said the head of the United States Southern Command.
“Information-sharing initiatives like the Cooperative Situational Information Integration System allow the United States and Ecuador to work together to make our countries and the entire region safer,” Faller added.
The head of the United States Southern Command met with the Ecuadorian Minister of Defense, Fernando Donoso, to discuss the long-standing security cooperation that exists between the United States and Ecuador. On the occasion, Minister Donoso stressed that it is necessary to have “direct participation of our Armed Forces with Colombia, Mexico, the United States, with intelligence, training, equipment support, among others, which are necessary to confront the threats that are common.”
According to the statement, This type of bilateral action is part of a common process of security and strengthening of Ecuador's international relations with the world, Since several countries in the region have signed this type of mechanism, which in turn allows for an integrated network at a continental level, thus demonstrating that national security and defense are and will be a priority for the Ecuadorian State.Statement from the Ministry of Defense of Ecuador) (Statement from the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Ecuador)
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