USA committed to collaborating with Uruguay in the fight against drug trafficking, deepening work with agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the International Bureau of Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Assistance (INL).
After Second Annual Bilateral Interministerial Dialogue which the chancellor co-chaired Omar Paganini, With the intention of strengthening relations between both countries, it was agreed to “redouble efforts to combat crime transnational and the impact of drug trafficking in the citizen security”.
During the meeting, which was also led by the assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, Brian Nichols, Both sides studied innovative solutions to improve security conditions in the region.
Among the work areas are “the drug interdiction, law enforcement training, drug dependency treatment, and demand reduction programs.” At the same time, they debated the importance of guaranteeing regional support for the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti.
The return of the DEA still does not materialize
Beyond the government’s request, there was no news regarding the reopening of the office of the DEA in the country, something that the United States Embassy ratified months ago, after a statement by the then Minister of the Interior, Luis Alberto Heber, when referring that the closest point is in Argentina.
In September, the current Secretary of the Presidency, Rodrigo Ferres, held a meeting with the ambassador Heide Fulton to try to advance the return of the organization, which closed its office in the country in March 2019, a year before the president’s arrival to the Executive Luis Lacalle Pou. However, the return of the agency, for the moment, will continue to wait.
Insecurity, the main concern of Uruguayans
The cooperation with USA in the fight against crime, since the unsafety stands as the main issue that worries Uruguayans, according to the latest Equipos Consultores survey, in which the issue occupied first place with 43% of mentions, a percentage that grows to 49% in Montevideo.
In moments where one’s own Lacalle Pou admitted that the government is not satisfied with the crime figures, even though they are “significantly better” than those of the government of the Broad Front, the president noted and added: “Although the homicides They have gone down, obviously we are not satisfied. One cannot resign. “Violence cannot be a normal mechanism of relationship for Uruguayans.”
Source: Ambito
