The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Republic of Ecuador.
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Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo welcomed Foreign Minister Luis Gallegos; Minister of Government María Paula Romo; Minister of Production, Foreign Trade, Investment, and Fisheries Iván Ontaneda; and other members of the Ecuadoran delegation who participated in the Third Bilateral Expanded Political Dialogue on November 10, 2020 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. delegation was headed by Undersecretary of State David Hale, and the Ecuadorian delegation was headed by Vice Foreign Minister Arturo Cabrera.
The United States and Ecuador have built a solid relationship based on shared values related to democracy, security, transparency, development and prosperity, and the fight against drug trafficking, organized crime, and corruption, among other areas. During the bilateral dialogue, the United States and Ecuador discussed these issues and identified the achievements, mutual collaborations, challenges, and next steps of the relationship.
Within this framework, the two countries addressed defense and security, and reiterated the shared responsibility in the fight against narcotics trafficking to increase security and stability in the region. Regarding the improvement of aviation security, the United States and Ecuador highlighted the recent signing of the Memorandum of Agreement concerning the deployment of air marshals on flights between the United States and Ecuador. In addition, the two sides discussed the need to deepen bilateral cooperation on extraditions and the fight against human trafficking.
The United States and Ecuador highlighted the importance of strengthening democracy and transparency through information-sharing and training in the areas of cyber security and identifying and countering disinformation. Recognizing the importance of trust and security in next generation wireless networks, Ecuador and the United States seek to work in concert with each other and with other interested governments to secure our domestic information and communications technologies and promote a diverse and vibrant supply chain globally.
The governments also recognized continuing the State Department's Power Sector Program assistance that, under the framework of the América Crece initiative, has the goal of supporting economic development through high quality power sector infrastructure projects, including wind and solar power projects.
The United States recognized Ecuador's efforts under the Quito Process to coordinate with other member states on formulating regional policies in response to the refugee and migratory crisis affecting the region. The United States seeks to support Ecuador's policies that facilitate Venezuelan citizens' access to basic services, including health and education.
In the area of development assistance, both governments welcomed the reopening of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) office in Quito in November 2020, which will facilitate better collaboration between our nations. In this context, the Development Objective Assistance Agreement recently signed by USAID and the Government of Ecuador will facilitate sustainable investments in the environment, energy, and other revenue-generating sectors. The United States highlighted USAID's new electoral assistance under the development agreement. Both countries agreed on the importance of reactivating their economies, which were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition, the United States and Ecuador announced a deepening of bilateral cooperation to increase women's economic empowerment, in line with the objectives of the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. The initiative also includes the expansion of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs program.
The two governments expressed their concern over the presence of foreign-flagged fishing vessels and committed to take steps together regarding fishing activities in the high seas adjacent to Ecuador's exclusive economic zone, activities that could put at risk the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources beyond Ecuador's jurisdictional waters.
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