Asunción, Agencia IP.- At the “Shield of the Americas” meeting held in New York on Tuesday, President of the Republic Santiago Peña highlighted strengthened cooperation between the United States administration and countries in the Western Hemisphere, which he said can contribute to consolidating democracy and addressing cross-border threats.
The meeting, chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, brought together leaders from countries in the region. During the event, Peña welcomed the closer engagement between the U.S. administration and governments across the continent, describing it as an opportunity to advance a shared development agenda.
The Paraguayan president emphasized Paraguay’s close relationship with the United States and said initiatives such as the “Shield of the Americas,” recently joined by the governments of Peru, Chile and Colombia, send a positive signal to countries across the Western Hemisphere.
Peña also expressed Paraguay’s interest in continuing to work within the initiative and making progress on areas of common concern. Among these, he highlighted the situation in Venezuela and the need to continue efforts to restore democratic institutions in that country. He also raised concerns about Nicaragua and Cuba.
The Paraguayan president reaffirmed Paraguay’s willingness to cooperate with the U.S. administration and welcomed the greater attention the U.S. government is giving to the Western Hemisphere on its agenda.
A security alliance for the Western Hemisphere
For his part, U.S. President Donald Trump described the “Shield of the Americas” as a major agreement and as the largest and most powerful national security alliance in the Western Hemisphere.
Trump said the initiative is based on the idea that countries in the region can become stronger, safer, and more prosperous by working together to address common threats, particularly those posed by drug cartels.
He also emphasized participating governments’ responsibility to protect their populations from destabilizing threats associated with cartels and criminal organizations, while highlighting U.S. support for these efforts.
The U.S. president further called on participating governments to designate as terrorist organizations the 24 narco-terrorist groups identified by the United States as threats to regional stability and to impose sanctions against them.
Trump concluded by reaffirming U.S. support for the governments participating in the initiative.
