Paraguay hopes relationship with the US will continue marked by democratic values

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – On Wednesday, March 9, the president of Paraguay, Mario Abdo Benítez, received the credentials of the new US ambassador to the country, Marc Ostfield, with whom he hopes to continue a relationship marked by the democratic principles shared by both countries.

Abdo Benítez met with the US ambassador at the Lopez Palace, headquarters of the Paraguayan government, accompanied by his foreign minister, Euclides Acevedo.

On his Twitter account, the ruler welcomed Ostfield, a career diplomat nominated in June last year by US President Joe Biden and who arrived last February 25 in the country.

“Our history with the United States is marked by the democratic principles we share. We are sure that, with your collaboration, we will continue on that path,” the ruler posted on the social network.

For his part, the head of Paraguayan diplomacy told reporters that the arrival of the new ambassador “is nothing more than the legitimization of a very prosperous political and economic relationship” between the two countries, which he was confident would continue.

Acevedo, who received the new US ambassador on Monday to deliver his credentials, said that the Paraguayan government has been “very clear” in its intention that the fight against organized crime must continue.

But he indicated that this requires “a common data bank and greater technological incorporation in the prosecution of international crime”.

Ostfield, who has more than 30 years of experience in foreign policy, was an ombudsman for the State Department.

Last December, the diplomat was confirmed in the position by the US Senate.

He replaces Lee McClenny, who led the US embassy in Asunción from March 2018 to September 2020.

With information from EFE