Washington, Aug 14 (IANS) Five US lawmakers have urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate Ecuador as a Major Non-NATO Ally, saying the move would strengthen security cooperation and help the country fight drug cartels and organised crime.
Congressman Vern Buchanan joined a letter led by Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar and signed by lawmakers Carlos Giménez, Carol Miller and Greg Steube. They asked Rubio and the State Department to grant Ecuador the special status.
“The United States must continue to strengthen partnerships with trusted allies in our own hemisphere,” Buchanan said.
“As Chairman of the House Democracy Partnership, I have seen firsthand Ecuador’s commitment to combating organized crime, countering narcotics trafficking and advancing democratic institutions. Recognizing Ecuador as a Major Non-NATO Ally would strengthen our strategic partnership, and I am proud to support this effort,” he said.
The lawmakers described Ecuador as being on the front lines of the fight against transnational drug trafficking. Criminal groups have exploited its Pacific coast as a major corridor for cocaine shipments bound for the United States and Europe, the letter said.
It also pointed to record levels of violence linked to criminal organisations and the serious security challenges facing the South American nation.
“The battle against the cartels does not stop at Ecuador’s borders,” Salazar said. “The United States has a strategic interest in helping democratic allies confront the criminal organizations that threaten our hemisphere. Designating Ecuador as a Major Non-NATO Ally would strengthen one of our closest security partners in the Western Hemisphere.”
The designation would give Ecuador wider access to US security assistance. That could include certain military financing and defence loans, expanded military education and training, and priority access to excess US defence equipment.
Ecuador could also become eligible to take part in cooperative defence research and development projects. It would receive greater access to counterterrorism cooperation and technology, as well as opportunities for defence procurement and partnerships with the US defence industry.
The lawmakers said those tools would improve Ecuador’s ability to confront organised crime, protect civilians and stop illegal drugs before they enter the United States.
They urged Rubio to approve the designation and reaffirm Washington’s support for Ecuador as it continues its campaign against transnational criminal groups.
Major Non-NATO Ally status recognises close US defence and security partnerships with countries that are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. It offers military and financial advantages but does not carry NATO’s collective defence guarantee, under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all.
Nineteen countries currently hold the designation: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia. The list includes four countries in Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador’s northern neighbour, Colombia.
–IANS
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