Guatemala City, by -AGN- The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mario Búcaro, met with Dr. Phil Gordon, National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States.
The White House issued a press release regarding the meeting that stated:
Ahead of Guatemala’s presidential runoff election on August 20, National Security Advisor to the Vice President Dr. Phil Gordon met today with Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro of Guatemala to underscore the importance of a free, fair, and transparent process. Dr. Gordon emphasized that a peaceful transition between administrations is important and fundamental to a democracy.
The President of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, has repeatedly reiterated that the transition of power will take place. The Guatemalan Foreign Minister, Mario Búcaro, recently highlighted this commitment before the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States.
During this meeting, Minister Búcaro stressed that President Giammattei instructed all Executive agencies to provide unrestricted support to the presidential ticket officially proclaimed as the winner in the upcoming elections.
The Executive Branch has allocated all available resources for the election process, including schools to be used as voting centers. The full support of the National Civil Police agents is also noteworthy, both during the first round and for the upcoming runoff. Additionally, President Giammattei has personally overseen the scheduling for the transition of power.
Regional Cooperation
During the dialogue, the Guatemalan minister and the Vice President’s advisor discussed both nations’ programs for safe and legal migration and investment in the region.
In this regard, they mentioned actions such as the Safe Mobility Office program. Thousands of Guatemalans have benefited from temporary work visas so that they do not risk their lives migrating irregularly.
Over 3,500 Guatemalans were registered as having traveled to other countries to work, mainly to the United States, by mid-July.
Finally, they pointed out the actions for investment in the region. These actions aim to strengthen labor opportunities and thus combat migration’s causes. The White House invested 4.2 billion dollars in countries in northern Central America and other countries in the region.
