Asunción, Agencia IP.- The U.S. Department of State reported a communication between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña. The U.S. Official congratulated the Head of State on the country’s first-ever purchase through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program.
«The acquisition of a radar system from a U.S. company (…) will support aerial surveillance in the fight against drug and arms trafficking, in addition to fostering economic development in both countries,» stated a press release attributed to spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Secretary Rubio and President Peña reaffirmed the enduring nature of bilateral relations between the U.S. and Paraguay. They reiterated their interest in strengthening cooperation in defense, counter-narcotics efforts, and infrastructure for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
Paraguay will acquire a radar with a 400 km range and a monitoring center, enabling coverage of the national airspace and detecting irregular flights. The contract for acquiring the radar and the command and control center was signed on February 22. It has a 30-month implementation period in Paraguay and involves an investment of USD 45,763,000.