RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Government of Guatemala informed Monday that it would promote its “interests” in the United States through a lobbying services contract with the support of Taiwan’s cooperation.
“Lobbying service contracts are very effective for the promotion of countries, and many use them”, pointed out the Government of Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei in a press release.
The contract was agreed by the Giammattei Administration with the firm Ballard Partners with “the objective of promoting Guatemala’s interests in the United States”, especially “in strategic communication issues, the attraction of economic and tourism investment”.
Giammattei’s government also assured that it intends to “improve the country’s positioning for the production of products” of small traders, according to a press release issued on Monday night.
Guatemala also “thanked” Taiwan for “the support that will allow us to enhance the country’s positioning in the United States”, without providing further information regarding the cooperation for the execution of the lobby.
Relations between the United States and Guatemala cooled last September, when Washington sanctioned the Guatemalan Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, accusing her of obstructing justice in high-impact cases.
Precisely on Sunday, the United States once again took a stand against the Guatemalan government, accusing it of “weakening” the country’s judicial system and attempting to “obstruct corruption investigations” following a request for the removal of immunity of Judge Erika Aifán, issued by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Aifán is a high-impact judge and has been widely decorated abroad for her performance.
Similarly, U.S. President Joe Biden did not invite Giammattei or the leaders of Honduras and El Salvador to a virtual democracy summit he organized in December. Last week, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris telephoned Giammattei. He asked her to ensure “that corrupt actors are held accountable, stressing that corruption erodes public trust and undermines the ability to govern effectively and responsibly,” according to the White House.
Biden appointed Harris to address the region’s migration crisis, as each year, more than 500,000 Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Salvadorans attempt to migrate irregularly to the U.S. in search of better living conditions, away from poverty in Central America.
According to U.S. officials, one of the ways to tackle migration is to strengthen justice and eradicate corruption in the region. Taiwan is recognized as a legitimate government by 14 countries, including several Latin American nations such as Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay.