MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Paraguay and US stand against situation in Venezuela

The meeting between Campbell (L) and Ramírez (R) helped to “highlight the solid friendship between both countries.”

Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano and US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discussed this week in Washington DC the ongoing events in Venezuela, where opposition leaders have been unable to enter this year's presidential elections.

Campbell and Ramírez also concurred on condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and endorsing Israel's right to self-defense, as well as agreeing on the importance of the Multinational Haiti Support Mission.

They also expressed that the two countries shared their values in fighting corruption, protecting democratic institutions, and strengthening bilateral cybersecurity cooperation.

The undersecretary and the Paraguayan official also reviewed the recent decision by the US Senate to overrule the Agriculture Department's nod to importing Paraguayan beef from a sanitary perspective and pledged to keep up the joint efforts to ensure the access of Paraguayan meat to US and other potential global markets.

Ramírez and Campbell also reaffirmed the importance of Paraguay's participation in economic initiatives in the region and the Asia Pacific.

“Our meeting underscored the strength of the partnership between the United States and Paraguay,” Campbell said in a statement after conferring with Ramírez. According to the US Embassy in Asunción, the meeting helped to “highlight the solid friendship between both countries and discuss priority issues in the bilateral relationship” in addition to being an opportunity to reiterate “the fight against corruption and the promotion of shared democratic values” between both countries.