Ecuador and Argentina strengthen their cooperation with cyberdefense and extradition agreements
By Preciosa Jimenez
Ecuador and Argentina signed six cooperation agreements this Thursday regarding cyberdefense, extradition, and the fight against illegal fishing, among others, during a ceremony led in Quito by presidents Daniel Noboa and Javier Milei, respectively.
Argentina President Javier Milei heads to a meeting with Ecuador President Daniel Noboa Thursday in Quito amid heightened security.
In a joint statement released by the Ecuadorian Presidency, both nations reported that, through their foreign ministers, they signed an Extradition Treaty that establishes the legal framework for the reciprocal surrender of persons required by the justice system of either of the two States.
Regarding security, a Cyber Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed, which includes information exchange programs on cyber threats, specialized training and drills, as well as the creation of a Bilateral Cyber Defense Working Group.
The instruments were signed by the Argentine Chancellor, Pablo Quirno; the Ecuadorian Minister of Economic and Productive Development, Sariha Moya; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, Roberto Kury, and the Minister of Defense, Gian Carlo Loffredo.
Ecuador’s support for Argentine sovereignty
In the same statement, the Presidency noted that Noboa ratified Ecuador’s “historic support” for Argentina’s sovereign rights over the Malvinas, South Georgia, and South Sandwich Islands, as well as the surrounding maritime spaces.
The president also urged Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume negotiations as soon as possible to reach a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty dispute and highlighted the importance of the United Kingdom refraining from adopting unilateral measures, including the exploration and exploitation of natural resources in the disputed area.
Ecuador and Argentina also signed a trade agreement for the automotive sector with new conditions, including tariff preferences; a Binational Declaration on cooperation to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; an agreement to improve air connectivity, and another on cooperation for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Following the signing, President Milei was scheduled to meet with representatives of Argentina’s automotive industry.
Noboa’s gratitude
The Argentine president arrived in Ecuador this Thursday amidst a large security operation to carry out activities without press access, which had to be limited to following the president’s stay through official channels, such as a floral offering at the Plaza de la Independencia, in front of the Carondelet Palace, the seat of the Ecuadorian Executive, and subsequently the meeting with Noboa.
During that meeting, the Ecuadorian president thanked Milei for designating the Ecuadorian gang Chone Killers as a terrorist organization, which was announced minutes before the meeting, a designation that the gangs Los Choneros and Los Lobos, the largest and most dangerous in the Andean country, had already held since last year.
Likewise, information regarding Milei’s visit was limited to the data provided by the presidencies of both countries.
The visit without press access
At the beginning of the day, the Presidency of Ecuador warned that the Argentine leader’s activities would be covered exclusively by the communication teams of both countries, due to a “very tight schedule” on the part of the visiting dignitary.
Due to this, national and international media were unable to obtain accreditation to cover the official visit of the Argentine president.
The situation was similar last week in Lima, where Milei went to attend the inauguration of the president of Peru, Keiko Fujimori.
The Argentine head of state arrived in the early hours before the inauguration ceremony, without the presence of journalists like the rest of the leaders who also arrived in the Peruvian capital, and after the official act, he was named doctor honoris causa by the San Martín de Porres University (USMP), in a private activity as well where the press was not allowed to enter.
Noboa and Milei will meet again this Friday in Cali, during the inauguration ceremony of Colombia’s president-elect, the far-right Abelardo de la Espriella.
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Credit: De Ultimo Minuto
