US highlights Guillermo Lasso’s arrival for Ecuador’s presidency: “We share commitment to cooperation in democracy and security”

United States Ambassador to the United Nations and President Joe Biden’s representative at the inauguration of Guillermo Lasso, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Highlighted the importance that his country sees in relations with Ecuador, with the former banker coming to power to succeed Lenin Moreno.

“I am delighted to represent the United States to celebrate my last election and the inauguration of President Lasso here,” the US ambassador said when he arrived in Quito this Sunday, where he gave a few words to the media at the airport.

Thomas-Greenfield arrived in the afternoon leading the presidential delegation, which will attend the inauguration of the Lasso in the National Assembly tomorrow, Monday.

“This is an important moment, and I’m not saying that because this is the first time I’ve traveled outside the United States in more than 14 months,” said the diplomat with humor, who is the outgoing Ecuadorian foreign minister Was obtained by Manuel Mejia.

Five heads of state and at least seven foreign ministers were scheduled to arrive in Ecuador this Sunday for the inauguration of the new president, including the king of Spain and the presidents of Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

During his stay on Ecuador’s land, Felipe VI will meet privately with Lasso and outgoing Lenin Moreno.

The US President’s delegation was completed by its ambassador in Ecuador, Michael J. Fitzpatrick; Julie Chung, Acting Under Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State; U Juan Gonzalez, Special Adviser to the National Security Council.

“Free elections are the cornerstone of a democratic society like Ecuador. They provide a positive example of the democracies in the region and the values ​​that the people of Ecuador and the United States share,” said the head of the delegation.

And she called on her journey and the rest of her accompanying members to see Ecuador “as a powerful message about how much we value our relationship”, a country with which she shares, she said. ” More than the values. “

“We share cooperation in cultural exchanges, commitment to democracy and security. We also share difficult challenges such as the need to defeat Kovid-19, overcome economic decline and climate change in this difficult time.”Added.

“That’s why President Biden has sent his first presidential delegation here to Ecuador,” he insisted.

Since this afternoon, at the local time, the first foreign leaders to attend tomorrow’s session have arrived. These include the President of Haiti, Jovenal Moise; Vice President of Paraguay, Hugo Velazquez; And Chancellor of Chile, Andres Almand.

Other leaders attending the inaugural events include the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro; Chile, Sebastian Pinera; Columbia, Ivan Dukes; Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pau Po; And the Dominican Republic, Louis Ebineder.

The regime change in Ecuador occurs amid economic, social and health crises arising from the Kovid-19 epidemic, which has so far left more than 20,000 deaths between “confirmed” and “probable” due to the disease, and infected more than 417,000. People.

Lasso, a 65-year-old center-right politician, comes to the presidency in his third attempt with a severe lack of liquidity and a stalled vaccination program that he should resolve For economic reactivation.

The president-elect, whose main campaign proposal was to vaccinate nine million people against Kovid-19 in 100 days, acknowledged that he “faces very complex realities, unlimited needs, with very limited resources.” And he warns that he will resort to “very constructive tax reforms”.

Between December 2019 and last March, Unemployment in Ecuador increased from 4.6% to 5.5%. And income poverty increased from 25% in December 2019 to 32% in the same month of 2020.

Lasso received 52.36% of the vote, 4.72 points more than the Economist. Andrés Arruzu, The 36-year-old and former President Rafael Korea’s Dolphins, in a vote on April 11, ending a series of victories for socialism

With information from EFE and AFP

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