Asunción, Agencia IP.- The Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.S. Department of State signed a memorandum of understanding last Thursday to cooperate on irregular migration and the implementation of appropriate procedures in the review of protection and asylum applications.
The document was signed by Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar.
«This agreement is another milestone in what a very strong friendship and alliance between our governments and our peoples is,» said the Secretary of State, reaffirming «the strong ties and bonds of cooperation between the United States and Paraguay.»
Rubio highlighted the «extraordinary ability to work together to prevent something that concerns both countries, which is illegal migration,» and announced that both governments will cooperate on many more issues. «The economic opportunities are enormous,» he stated.
For his part, Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez stressed that this agreement represents the deep commitment of both governments to work «not only on the migration program but also on security, trade, and investments.»
He underlined that both countries share «a broad bilateral agenda that has been diversified» based on shared values and principles such as democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Finally, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar praised Paraguay as a great ally in strengthening border security and affirmed that the signing of this memorandum «is a major step» in that area.
He recalled that the U.S. asylum system had been abused in the previous administration, and therefore, signing this type of agreement «contributes to national security by giving us the tools to implement proper processes in providing asylum to people who request it and truly deserve it.»
The purpose of the signed document is to strengthen cooperation in the analysis and processing of protection applications, according to Paraguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to a statement from the U.S. Department of State, the agreement also gives asylum seekers currently in the United States the opportunity to present their protection requests in Paraguay, allowing both nations «to share the burden of managing illegal migration while curbing the abuse of our country’s asylum system.»