Peruvian Foreign Minister in Lisbon: fighting organised crime alone is "naivety"
Foreign Minister Carlos Espá defended multilateral cooperation against transnational organised crime in Lisbon. He backed the Shield of the Americas, an initiative promoted by the Trump administration.
Espá defends cooperation with US against transnational organised crime
Peruvian Foreign Minister Carlos Espá described as "naivety" the idea that countries could combat transnational criminal organisations acting alone, according to reporting by elheraldo.co. The statement was made on Monday in Lisbon during a joint appearance with his Portuguese counterpart, Paulo Rangel.
"It is naivety for countries to think that they can fight alone against these organisations that do not respect borders, that have their leaders in one country, their activities in another country and their money laundering in a third country," Espá stated.
A global threat requiring a collective response
The Peruvian minister argued that organised crime represents "a threat not only hemispheric in nature, but a global threat," and called for a show of solidarity from states.
In that context, Espá defended the Shield of the Americas, the multilateral mechanism promoted by the Donald Trump administration to strengthen the fight against criminal organisations under US leadership. He linked that cooperation to greater regional awareness of the scope of the threats, regardless of electoral results and the political leanings of each government.
US mid-term elections: limited impact on foreign policy
When asked about the potential consequences that the US mid-term elections on Tuesday could have for that initiative, Espá ruled out a major effect.
"I do not believe that the mid-term elections will have a very large impact on the conduct of US foreign policy in the short term," he stated.
The foreign minister argued that in the American presidential system, foreign policy depends on the Executive. He also recalled that mid-term elections typically result in a loss of parliamentary presence for the president's party, so the results should be interpreted from a historical perspective and not solely based on polls about the composition of Congress.
Rangel agreed in underlining the stability of ties with Washington. Relations between Portugal and the United States are, according to his words, "very long-standing, very stable, very much based on transatlantic bonds," and will continue that way "regardless of the outcome."
Maritime security and port cooperation between Peru and Portugal
The fight against organised crime was also one of the central themes of the bilateral meeting between both foreign ministers, who also addressed maritime security and opportunities for investment and port cooperation.
Rangel highlighted that coastal countries, such as Peru and Portugal, share concerns about transnational crime by virtue of being "entry points into South American and European continents."
As part of the visit, an agreement was signed between Peru's National Port Authority and the Portuguese port of Sines. Espá presented the accord as an example of the need to accompany economic development with security measures.
"Security, the fight against transnational criminal organisations, goes hand in hand with the promotion of investments," the Peruvian minister stated.
Espá stressed that commercial openness and the development of ports and airports must be accompanied by mechanisms that prevent criminal networks from taking advantage of those channels for money laundering, smuggling and drug trafficking.
Source: Google News PE — Crime