A delegation of five senators, two Democrats and three Republicans, will meet with President Lasso, other members of the Ecuadorian government, and members of civil society.
Quito, October 19, 2022. A delegation of five U.S. senators, led by Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, visits Quito and the Galapagos Islands. The delegation also includes Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) and Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska)
The delegation will hold a meeting with President Lasso to discuss the importance of bilateral relations, environmental conservation, and to demonstrate the commitment of the United States to Ecuador. The delegation will take advantage of its visit to the country to meet with its counterparts in the National Assembly.
As part of the agenda, the delegation will visit a program of the Center for Development and Self-Management (DYA), funded by the U.S. Government. This project supports Ecuadorian, Colombian, and Venezuelan migrant children and adolescents, who have been out of school for at least two years and are completing accelerated studies to rejoin the formal education system. The senators will also travel to the Galapagos Islands.
Senators Menendez and Cardin are co-authors of the United States-Ecuador Partnership Act, a bill awaiting a final vote in the Senate, which aims to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries by increasing economic and trade ties, promoting inclusive economic development, combating illicit economies, corruption, negative foreign influence, and strengthening democratic governance. This bill also seeks to encourage environmental conservation and strengthen maritime cooperation.
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