Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Roberto Kury Deliver Statements

MODERATOR:  (Via interpreter) We are receiving Secretary of State Marco Rubio from the United States of America, and also Roberto Kury Pesantes, the Foreign Minister of Ecuador. Ladies and gentlemen, dear authorities, representatives from the press that are here with us today, please, everybody be welcome to this joint press release on behalf of Secretary of State Marco Rubio from the United States of America and Roberto Kury Pesantes, Foreign Minister of Ecuador.  In this space we will be able to share the main findings of this day. 

Now we would like to invite Foreign Minister Roberto Kury, Foreign Minister of Human Mobility of Ecuador. 

FOREIGN MINISTER KURY:  (Via interpreter) Good afternoon to all of the representatives of the press that are here with us today.  For us it’s an absolute honor to be hosting you and hosting the second official visit on behalf of the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio.  This visit is not only a very important diplomatic milestone, but it also reflects the excellent moment that Ecuador and the United States are undergoing jointly with our administrations; and overall, it is a very clear example that we are sharing a common vision – a vision that is focused on security; that is focused on liberty, on democracy, and overall on shared prosperity. 

I would like to structure my presentation in three axes, which is something that we constantly work with the United States.  One is the issue related to safety – our shared safety and security, focused on fighting against transnational threats, and also the threats that we are confronting right now are not only local; they know no boundaries.  And in the same way we do need to tackle them in a way that is multinational and coordinated not only locally. 

Ecuador has assumed a very firm, brave, and decisive role in the region to try to break down these criminal organizations and drug-dealing bands that try to cause harm to our families and to our peace and to our institutions.  Therefore, technical operation and political support are fundamental parts of the puzzle for this effort, and today we want to restate that the institutional strength and the exchange of intelligence, the strengthening of our capabilities, are the only way forward in order to be able to bring back the absolute peace for our peoples. 

Secondly, I would also like to mention the issue related to economy.  Sustainable peace cannot be sustained only through security and safety, but it is also very necessary to have economic development, employment, and real opportunities for our people.  Therefore, Ecuador has positioned itself as a strategic partner that is trustworthy, that opens the door for hemispheric trade in different sectors in order to be able to jointly work with the United States of America. 

And finally, the third axis I would like to sum up: that this is a partnership not only at the diplomatic level, and it’s not a short-term partnership; our relationship with the United States is envisioned to be lasting because our nations go beyond a simple political moment.  They share democratic values and the commitment for the well-being of our nations.  This visit on behalf of Secretary Rubio allows us to create a pragmatic roadmap, and a very ambitious roadmap, for the upcoming years, ensuring that our political dialogue can be translated into tangible results for each and every one of our citizens and our region. 

Dear Secretary, your presence here in our Ecuadorian soil really ratifies that not only are we working hand in hand, but also that we are working for a better future for both nations.  Be confident that in us you will find a country that is a loyal ally, an active ally, and a decisive ally to be able to build a safer hemisphere, a free hemisphere, and prosperous hemisphere.  Thank you very much. 

MODERATOR:  (Via interpreter) Thank you very much, dear Foreign Minister.  Now we would like to invite the intervention of Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State of the United States of America.   

SECRETARY RUBIO:  (Via interpreter) Thank you very much for this opportunity to be here with you again.  A year and three days ago I came; this is my second official visit as the Secretary of State, and my third visit, because I came as a senator before as well.  And we will see ourselves in September for sure once again, or in – even closer than next September.  And thank you very much for this opportunity.   

The partnership between the United States and Ecuador – I’m going to share some words in English as well, just so that people don’t get offended with me, as well for my press, English-speaking press that we have from the United States. 

But first of all I would like to say that this partnership between – of our countries is very important.  We do not have a better ally in the region with regards to confronting the big threat of criminal transnational organizations.  It’s criminal transnational organization that has changed over the last few years.  We had been used to criminal groups that cooperated within a national boundary, but now we see networks of terrorist organizations.  Let’s not call them criminal groups; they’re terrorist groups that are attacking country after country, threatening the state, the well-being, the health, and the safety of our people.  And in order to be able to discuss transnational issues we have to create a coalition of countries.  And one of the countries that has participated most actively and is doing the most to confront this is Ecuador, and that’s why we’re here with you today.   

And we’re doing a lot of things together.  Our elite forces are working jointly on a day-to-day basis in a way that has no precedence in order to try to dismantle these terrorist organizations which are causing so much harm to this country, to our country, and to plenty of other countries in our region.  At the same time, we have worked – and I’m going to ask the United States Congress for 45 additional million dollars – to continue contributing towards this effort of dismantling these terrorist groups and finishing with them once and for all. 

At the same time, we are launching a $10 million effort in order to be able to tackle illegal mining that is stealing the riches of your country.  They should be towards the benefit of people, not towards the benefit of a terrorist group.  And we will also start with that initiative.  I want to announce that we are giving a fleet from the U.S. Coast Guard here to Ecuador so that they are able to use it.  It’s a 110-feet vessel.  And on top of that, we will transfer five more interceptor vessels in the upcoming months.  We will have a total of 12 total vessels – 12 of them – over the last year.   

And we also want to say that the results are evident.  You have been able to have your interventions and have been able to see a historical numbers of seizures of drugs over the last year, which is something that was previously never before seen.  I must say that as part of the effort, the administration of – President Trump’s administration has sanctioned 15 entities – criminal organizations, terrorist organizations, and also two individual people.  And we have identified 10 commercial fishing companies, and we – that were also participating in illegal actions.  And this is very important; we continue working on this.  

And today, we have made the decision on behalf of the United States Government to designate Los Tiburones as another terrorist group, and this is on top of the things that we have done with Los Choneros and with Los Lobos and other groups that are not coming up to my mind at this point in time.  But yeah, it was the three additional groups, and today with the Tiburones as well.  

These criminal groups – and I’m going to repeat what I said before because it’s very important for us to highlight this.  We’re not talking about mafia, normal mafia.  We’re not talking about criminals.  We’re talking about terrorists – terrorists that in many cases have weapons and equipment that is very similar to those from armies of certain countries.  These are not common groups.  They participate in common crime, of course, but they have capabilities beyond that.  They’re terrorist groups.  And that is something that we have to confront, we have to dismantle, and we have to beat them.  And we are fully committed for that.  

At the same time, we have also worked on economic issues.  There’s huge economic opportunities.  The number one responsibility of government is the safety of the people in the country, but beyond that we do need to have prosperity, economic opportunities.  And there are huge economic opportunities.  Your economy is growing.  It’s growing at a very impressive level, but it could even take that step further.  It could accelerate even further for the benefit of the people.  And we are trying to find what opportunities exist, and we know that there’s plenty of them so that United States economy and Ecuadorian economy can participate jointly to create this prosperity, which would help both countries. 

So with all of this, we are fully committed – 100 percent committed – and I wanted to come here as part of this official visit to add this and to keep on working on all of these things, and to have very concrete achievements like the ones we have obtained over the last year.  Because oftentimes, when you come on these visits, we say and we talk about what we will do, but we have already done things, and we will even work harder.  And hopefully next time we’re here we will have many more achievements that we can talk about, and also we will still have a lot to do.   

So thank you very much for that, and I’m going to share a couple of words in English. 

(In English) Just in English, first of all, I want to thank the foreign minister; I want to thank President Noboa and their administration.  They’ve been incredible partners.  They’re a key leader in the Shield of the Americas and in the Counter Cartel Coalition, the American – Americas Counter Cartel Coalition.  In fact, they are the most involved and aggressive partner we have in that regard.   

Our – as we speak right now, our elite forces are operating jointly, going after criminal groups, dismantling narco networks, and bringing people to justice that had never been brough to justice before.  And I think it’s important to point for a second that the groups we are taking on, these are terrorist organizations.  These are not just criminal organizations.  These are not just narco organizations.  These are terrorist organizations.  They have to be confronted, and they have to be dismantled.  And that’s what we’re working on together in a way that really has no precedent, and we’re going to be doing more. 

For example, we’ll be asking Congress for another $45 million of new commitments to help Ecuador, working with us, to take this effort on.  We’re going to be asking for $10 million as well, or we’re going to be launching an initiative – $10 million of approved projects to go after illegal gold mining and gang recruitment and illicit finance and land and maritime drug trafficking.   

I’m pleased to announce today that, as part of this effort, we’ll be delivering a 110-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter to Ecuador so that that will help strengthen their navy and their ability to stop maritime narcotic trafficking and weapons shipments and illegal fishing, and a range of other threats.  And we’re going to do more than just that.  Next month, we’ll be transferring five more interceptor vessels.  That’ll bring to a total of 12 this year – 12 this year.   

Again, the progress we’ve made on this relationship really has no historic precedent, and there’s so much more to do.  And the results are there.  You see it already.  I was just told this before we got here today that the Ecuadorian navy has seized 2.5 metric tons of cocaine using these vessels that we were able to provide.  They’re doing their part, and we’re going to continue to do ours.   

By the way, we’ve sanctioned a network of 15 entities and individuals and identified 10 commercial fishing vessels as blocked property.  These are things that were being used to facilitate narcotrafficking and other things.   Now, today we’ll be designating a new group and another group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a group known as Los Tiburones.  And this comes on the heels of our designation of three other groups, including Los Lobos and Los Choneros, in July.   

These are organizations – as I said, they’re not ordinary.  These are violent, bloodthirsty terrorist organizations, and we have to make sure that we continue to pursue them.  And as we dismantle these terrorist organizations, we also have to go after corrupt officials that collaborate and conspire with these terrorists.  We’ll be announcing the designation of seven former members of the government here, officials, for accepting bribes and for betraying their most essential duties on behalf of – and they did this on behalf of these terrorist organizations, these dangerous criminal groups.   

There was so much more for us to do.  We’ve signed a bilateral critical minerals framework earlier this year to collaborate on price challenges and to spur development.  We’re going to kick off our Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact with Ecuador.  We’re providing a 12 million grant to the Government of Ecuador for this compact, which is going to benefit the electricity sector and your economy.   

And in the end, obviously the most important obligation any government has is the safety and security of their people.  But upon that foundation is where you build the foundation of prosperity and economic opportunity.  Ecuador actually has economic growth, and it’s pretty impressive given some of the things that are going on around the world.  But they can do so much more if the security situation gets solved – and it is being solved very aggressively – and if we work together to pursue these opportunities to jointly develop our respective economies in ways that are mutually beneficial for both countries. 

So thank you very much.  Muchísimas gracias.   

MODERATOR:  (Via interpreter) Thank you very much, Secretary.  We would like to thank the presence of the authorities, the representatives of the press, and also of everybody that has been here with us today.  We would like to specially request the press to please stay in your position until the authorities leave.  Good afternoon, everybody, and thank you.