Five South American countries meet in Santiago to strengthen fight against transnational crime
Foreign ministers and security ministers from Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile met in Santiago to agree on joint measures against criminal organisations operating across borders.
Five South American countries meet in Santiago to strengthen fight against transnational crime
A high-level summit brought together the foreign and security policy officials of five South American states in Santiago on Wednesday. The aim of the meeting was to map out joint lines of action to confront criminal networks operating across borders.
Attending the summit were the foreign ministers of Argentina (Pablo Quirno), Bolivia (Fernando Aramayo), Ecuador (Gabriela Sommerfeld), Peru (Carlos Pareja) and Chile (Francisco Pérez Mackenna). Also present were the security authorities from each nation, including Argentine minister Alejandra Monteoliva, Ecuadorian vice-minister Jorge Rivadeneira, Peruvian interior minister José Zapata and Chilean under-secretary Martín Arrau.
The meeting sought to reach agreements on four fronts: sharing information between agencies, improving coordination in border areas, tracking illicit financial flows and strengthening regional response instruments.
Pérez Mackenna emphasised that criminal organisations operating at an international scale represent a serious threat to stability, growth and population protection. According to his words, the cross-border dimension of the problem means that isolated actions by each state are insufficient, making it essential to increase political and technical cooperation, as well as achieve greater interoperability between institutions.
The summit was convened in response to growing concern among regional governments over the rise of gangs engaged in human trafficking, drug smuggling and weapons trafficking, as well as the need to dismantle money laundering circuits that cross multiple jurisdictions.
_Source: Crónica Digital_
Source: Google News CL — Crime