Rubio referred to the situation in the Middle East during a visit to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where he met, among others, the president Daniel Noboa. He raised the issue of recognition of the Palestinian state, which was announced by a number of countries.
– We told all these countries that if you do all these things with appreciation (Palestinian State), which is false, it is not even true, it will create problems – said the Secretary of State of the USA.
Rubio also announced that the administration of US President Donald Trump will officially recognize two drug gangs operating in Ecuador as “foreign terrorist organizations”. It is about Gangs Los Choneros and Los Lobos, which according to Ecuador authorities are responsible for many of the acts of violence that occurs in this country.
According to Rubio, the recognition of these gangs as terrorist organizations opens “many types of possibilities” to counteract these groups, among others by killing their members, freezing their assets and taking over real estate.
US attack on a boat from Venezuela
On Tuesday, Trump announced that the US armed forces carried out an attack on the Caribbean Sea on a boat from Venezuela flowing towards the USA with drug load. According to the president, 11 members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang were killed in the attack. Rubio announced on Wednesday that such attacks would continue.
In Ecuador, the Secretary of State USA announced that his country would provide this country worth $ 20 million in help in fighting gangs. During a meeting with the head of Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gabriela Sommerfeld also said that the US may consider building a military base in Ecuador if this country is inviting.
The American military base had previously operated in the Ecuadorian city of Manta, but in 2009 it was closed in accordance with the decision of the then authorities. The current President of Noboa said that he supports the re -opening of such a base, but the final decision in this matter must be approved in a referendum.
Ecuador President of Donald Trump's ally
Noboa, elected this year for the first full term, is considered one of Trump's closest allies in South America. He was one of the few foreign leaders invited to the inauguration of the presidency of the Republican. According to the sources of Reuters, both countries are close to the conclusion of a commercial agreement.
As the president of Ecuador, Noboa became famous for the introduction of a state of emergency and sending the army to fight drug gangs, which according to the authorities are responsible for a significant increase in crime recorded in recent years. Ecuador, until recently recognized as a security oasis in a restless region, has been adjacent to the world's largest cocaine producers, and in recent years it has become a node of drug transfer to the USA and Europe.
