Ecuador leader proposes lifting ban on foreign military bases

[Judi Lynn]

3. U.S., Ecuador talks at White House a first in nearly 2 decades

Feb 12, 2020 3:40 PM EDT



Left: U.S. President Donald Trump greets Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 12, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

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“This is the culmination of a rebirth and reinforcement of the relationship of our country with an important economic and commercial partner,” José Valencia, Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs, said before the visit.

Ecuador has received $72 million from the United States to assist with the influx of people leaving Venezuela. There currently are nearly 400,000 Venezuelans in Ecuador.

Moreno is at a weak moment of his presidency after nearly two weeks of violent protests last year over his decision to end fuel subsidies. He later retracted that decision and reached an agreement with indigenous leaders to cancel an austerity package backed by the International Monetary Fund. But the economy is still growing at a sluggish pace and Moreno’s approval rating has hovered at around 20 percent.

Trump and Moreno were expected to discuss ways to improve access to commercial markets, promote investment, foster academic collaborations, and collaborate on combating issues like drug trafficking, corruption and money laundering. Trump’s trade negotiator, Robert Lighthizer, planned to participate in the meeting.

More:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/u-s-ecuador-talks-at-white-house-a-first-in-nearly-2-decades

Lenin Moreno was able to worm his way into Ecuador's Progressive Government by pretending to be a progressive politician long enough to convince Progressive President Rafael Correa he was concerned about the people and not another corrupt politician who put business interests and US right-wing politics first. Once he was solidly in place, he ran for the Presidency and won and immediately showed his true colors, to the great detriment of the population.