U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with President Keiko Fujimori of Peru during his last stop on a three-state tour of the region. He lauded steps the newly elected president has taken to cooperate with the U.S., including an announcement that the country will be a partner in the Shield of the Americas.
“I truly believe that we are entering a new era in U.S.-Peru relations, a golden era in many ways, because [the] administration has the right ideas,” said Secretary Rubio. “The most important obligation of any government to its people is the security and the stability and the order in that country. And when that is threatened, nothing else is possible – not economic growth, not prosperity, not upward mobility. And in fact, we look at the criminality that exists and the terrorism that exists in this region today – and the people most victimized by it are working people, common people, who cannot defend themselves against these criminal elements.”
Secretary Rubio noted that the threat of narcoterrorism has extended beyond state borders, and states must work together to address it.
“This is – this has always been a threat in this region. But it has become a new threat because these are now transnational threats. These are transnational terrorist organizations that do not respect sovereign borders and operate in multiple countries with the same aim and the same goal of exploiting countries and exploiting their people and harming them.”
He noted that 14 countries are working together in the Shield and called for more to join.
“What is it a shield against? It is a shield against these threats to the sovereignty of these independent nations. It is a shield against these transnational criminal groups that, in many cases, have more money and better military equipment than the states. That is unacceptable, and the only way to defeat it is to confront it forcefully.”
Secretary Rubio lauded President Fujimori for putting security first in the region, noting greater economic cooperation will build on that security and calling that cooperation “core” in the relationship between the U.S. and Peru. During his trip, he noted that increased trade in critical minerals and production cooperation make sense.
“The Western Hemisphere is a priority for this administration – not a rhetorical priority, not a symbolic priority, not a ceremonial priority – a real priority. … Because geography is real. The things that happen in this hemisphere directly impact us. We’re not doing anybody a favor here. Us getting involved in the region is not a favor; it is essential to our own security, to our own prosperity, to our own well-being in the United States of America.”