Victoria Nuland during the US–Jamaica Strategic Dialogue. Photo: Twitter @UnderSecStateP.
A US State Department press release noted that US Undersecretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland began a tour of Jamaica, Ecuador, and Colombia, in order to “lead strategic dialogues and bilateral commitments.” The tour will continue until Friday, November 18.
Her first stop was Kingston, Jamaica, where Nuland addressed the issue of local security in meetings with the Prime Minister Andrew Holness, accompanied by Kamina Johnson-Smith, the island’s foreign minister.
According to what Nuland wrote on Twitter, the appointment with Holness served to reinforce cooperation in security, “mutual prosperity,” and other critical issues for the citizens of Jamaica, the US, and the Caribbean.
Grateful to meet with 🇯🇲 Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM to celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations and reinforce our cooperation on security, mutual prosperity, and other critical issues for the citizens of Jamaica, the United States, and the Caribbean. pic.twitter.com/BhzOOn44LQ
— Under Secretary Victoria Nuland (@UnderSecStateP) November 16, 2022
For her part, Johnson-Smith discussed “shared priorities,” including the response to the crises in Haiti, deepening the US-Jamaica trade relationship, and increasing “security and the prosperity of the Caribbean region.”
Nuland also participated in a bilateral strategic dialogue, in which she announced Washington’s intention to increase funding for programs to “reduce violence and strengthen law enforcement” in Jamaica.
Nuland’s stay coincided with the issuance of a State of Public Emergency (SOE) by Holness, with the aim of combating the increase in violence in various divisions’ police stations and parishes on the island.
Ecuador
Subsequently, Nuland traveled to Ecuador, where, on Wednesday, she signed a bilateral “Open Skies” agreement with Ecuadorian Minister of Foreign Affairs Juan Carlos Holguín.
According to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, this agreement, which promotes air transport, seeks to “reduce (ticket) rates, promote increased travel and trade, [and] stimulate economic growth and job creation.”
Crecen las oportunidades en el país. Ecuador🇪🇨 y Estados Unidos🇺🇸 firman un acuerdo bilateral de Cielos Abiertos, que busca reducir las tarifas, promover el aumento de viajes y el comercio, estimular el crecimiento económico y la creación de empleos.#DiplomaciadelaProsperidad pic.twitter.com/IgbpI2CBIB
— Cancillería del Ecuador 🇪🇨 (@CancilleriaEc) November 16, 2022
Nuland considered that the signing of the pact “opens up billions of dollars in opportunities,” with the potential increase in exports from Ecuador and the exchange of both countries in cultural and educational matters. Holguín, for his part, described the agreement as a “new milestone” in US–Ecuador relations.
According to the State Department, Nuland will also meet with Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso and participate in an expanded bilateral political dialogue to “reaffirm US support for democratic governance, regional security, human rights, migration management, and support for vulnerable populations.”
The visit to Ecuador occurs while the country is going through a crisis of mounting violence, one which has included attacks with explosives and other crimes. The situation has led the government to decree a state of emergency in three provinces.
Colombia
The last stop on Nuland’s tour is Colombia, where the US official will stay on November 17 and 18, with scheduled stops in Bogotá and Cartagena. While there, Nuland’s agenda includes a meeting with the President Gustavo Petro and Colombia’s foreign minister, Álvaro Leyva.
The State Department says that those meetings will focus on “shared priorities,” including issues of “regional security, strong democratic institutions, the socioeconomic and political inclusion of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous peoples, and the continued importance of implementing the Peace Agreement of 2016.”
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Nuland will also participate in the closing ceremony for the visit of the USNS Comfort hospital ship, which remains in Cartagena until November 19.
Nuland will arrive in Colombia one day after the closing of the first International Conference on Reincorporation Experiences, which brings together signatories of the peace agreement and ex-combatants from five countries, and which is marked by the policies of dialogue promoted by the government of Petro to put an end to the armed conflict.
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/FV/SL
