US Ambassador to the United Nations and President Joe Biden’s delegate at the opening ceremony of Guillermo Lasso, Linda Thomas GreenfieldHe highlighted the importance his country sees in relations with Ecuador, with the former banker coming to power, succeeding Lenin Moreno.

“I am delighted to be here to represent the United States to celebrate its recent elections and the inauguration of President Laso,” the US ambassador said upon arriving in Quito on Sunday, where she delivered a few words to the media at the airport.

Thomas Greenfield arrived early in the afternoon at the head of a presidential delegation that will participate in Lasso’s inauguration ceremony tomorrow, Monday, in the National Assembly.

The diplomat, who was received by the outgoing Ecuadorian Foreign Minister, said, “It is an important moment, and I do not say it because it is the first time that I have traveled outside the United States in more than 14 months.” Manuel Mejia.

Five heads of state and at least seven foreign ministers were to arrive in Ecuador on Sunday to inaugurate the new president, including the king of Spain and the presidents of Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

During his stay in Ecuadorian territory, Felipe VI will meet privately with Laso and the departed Lenin Moreno.

The American presidential delegation is supplemented by its ambassador to Ecuador, Michael J. Fitzpatrick; Julie ChungActing Undersecretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. s Juan GonzalezSpecial Adviser from the National Security Council.

“Free elections are the cornerstone of a democratic society like Ecuador. The head of the delegation said that they set a positive example of democracies in the region and the values ​​that the people of Ecuador and the United States share.”

She asked to see her visit and that of the rest of the members who accompany her as a “strong message about how much we value our relations” with Ecuador, a country that shares it with her, she said, much more than “values.” “

We share cultural exchange, commitment to democracy and cooperation in the field of security. In these difficult times, we also share difficult challenges such as the need to defeat COVID-19 and recover from economic decline and climate change. ”Added.

He stressed that “this is the reason why President Biden sent his first presidential delegation here to Ecuador.”

Since noon local time, the first foreign leaders who will take part in tomorrow’s office have arrived. Among them is the President of Haiti, Juvenil Moyes; Vice President of Paraguay, Hugo Velasquez; And the Chile Chancellor, Andres Almand.

Other leaders who have also confirmed their participation in the inaugurations include the presidents of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro; Chile, Sebastian Pinera; Colombia, Evan Duque; Uruguay, Louis Lacal Beau; And the Dominican Republic, Louis Abenader.

The change in power is taking place in Ecuador in the midst of the economic, social and health crisis resulting from the Covid-19 epidemic, which has so far left more than 20,000 “confirmed” and “probable” deaths due to the disease, and more than 417,000 injured.

Lasso, a 65-year-old center-right politician, is also coming to the presidency on his third attempt with an acute shortage of cash and a stalled vaccination program he must solve. To revitalize the economy.

The president-elect, whose main campaign proposal was to vaccinate nine million people against COVID-19 in 100 days, acknowledged that he faces “extremely complex realities, unlimited needs, and very limited resources.” He warned that he would resort to “very creative tax reforms.”

Between December 2019 and last March, The unemployment rate in Ecuador increased from 4.6% to 5.5%. Income poverty increased from 25% in December 2019 to 32% in the same month in 2020.

Laso received 52.36% of the vote, 4.72 points higher than the economist Andres ArawsDelphine, 36, former President Rafael Correa, at the polls on April 11th, ending a series of victories for socialism.

With information from EFE and AFP

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