Five South American countries sign "Santiago Commitment" against organised crime
Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru launch a joint regional plan to combat transnational organised crime. Foreign ministers will meet again in 180 days in Buenos Aires.
Southern Cone foreign ministers unite against transnational crime
Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru formalised the "Santiago Commitment" on Tuesday, a coordinated regional plan to confront organised crime, according to 24horas.cl. The meeting brought together the foreign ministers of the five countries under the direction of Chilean foreign minister Francisco Pérez Mackenna.
"Organised crime has established itself as one of the principal threats to governance, the security of persons, institutional stability and the development of our countries," Pérez Mackenna stated during the meeting.
The secretary of state emphasised that national efforts are insufficient given the cross-border nature of the phenomenon. "They must be complemented with greater political cooperation, technical coordination and also with the exchange of information," he added.
Pérez Mackenna was explicit about the scope of the agreement: "This begins to change today. Here there is a real will. Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile are going to confront organised crime united."
The five foreign ministers agreed to meet again in 180 days, with Buenos Aires as the seat of the next meeting. The immediate step is to present the agreement before the 46th General Assembly of the OAS, with the objective of bringing together more countries from the continent.
"This is a starting point and the basis for future work," the Chilean foreign minister concluded, presenting the meeting as the beginning of a permanent regional architecture against transnational criminality.
Source: Google News CL — Santiago