Quito, March 29, 2021– U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador Michael J. Fitzpatrick met separately over the past week with both candidates for the presidency of Ecuador, Andrés Arauz (UNES) and Guillermo Lasso (CREO).  The meetings provided opportunities to exchange views on the challenges facing both the United States and Ecuador, as well as to discuss potential areas for future bilateral cooperation between the two democracies, to the benefit of the peoples of both countries.  Ambassador Fitzpatrick highlighted the importance to the United States of our institutional, commercial, and personal ties to Ecuador and its people, and reiterated the U.S. commitment to continuing our cooperation with Ecuador to overcome the economic and public health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.