Ecuador says it finds ‘fair’ to share the costs of fighting drug trafficking with the US

Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso this Sunday (18) considered it “fair” to share the costs of fighting drug trafficking with the United States.

“I think it’s fair to split the bill,” Lasso told reporters in the port of Guayaquil minutes before leaving for Washington to meet with US President Joe Biden.

“If it’s good, it’s right [que] “The conflict, the war is happening here in Ecuador, and the beneficiaries are not only the youth and children of Ecuador, but also the youth and children of the United States,” he said.

The Lasso government estimates $5 billion is needed in Ecuador to tackle drug trafficking and the resulting insecurity, and has already indicated that Biden will need the help of America’s adviser Christopher Dodd and the US Secretary of Homeland Security. Alejandro Majorkas, who recently visited Quito.

Ecuador is located between Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producer. The country has been battling against increasing drug trafficking and crime in recent years.

In 2021, Ecuadorian authorities seized a record 210 tons of drugs, while this year already more than 170 tons of drugs have been seized.

The homicide rate in Ecuador has nearly doubled last year with 14 murders per 100,000 people, the highest in recent years and has already been surpassed in 2022.

Lasso said he will talk to Biden on Monday “on issues related to democracy, the economy and security”.

“The idea is to take a stand on behalf of Ecuador, a country that respects democracy with independence of powers. It is to take a stand against Ecuador’s need for support to face its problems of insecurity.”

We will also talk about the economy,” he said.

Ecuador is interested in signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with its main trading partner, the United States, as it is about to sign with China.

“We are the only country on America’s Pacific coast that does not have a Free Trade Agreement with the United States. This is important not only for economic issues, but also for preventing migration flows that create jobs here,” Lasso said.

This will be an issue that we will address and address in the most direct and direct way.”

The number of Ecuadorian immigrants apprehended at the US-Mexico border has increased this year, from 600 in January to over 5,000 in September, according to the US Customs and Border Protection agency.