BACKGROUND PRESS CALL
BY SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS
ON THE VISIT OF PRESIDENT MARIO ABDO BENÍTEZ
OF THE REPUBLIC OF PARAGUAY
Via Teleconference
2:38 P.M. EST
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good afternoon, folks. Thanks for making the time. Today, just to go over the ground rules briefly, this will be for attribution to a senior administration official. We'll go through a few prepared remarks and then open up to a couple of questions.
Unfortunately, we're limited on time today so I will make this quick. Again, this is for -- I will give you the name and that will be for your awareness but not for any attribution. The speaker will be [senior administration official]. And the topic is the upcoming head of state visit with Paraguay.
With that, I'll turn it over to you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great. Thank you so much, and thank you to everyone for your attention to this.
This visit of the President -- President Mario Abdo Benítez -- to the White House will likely cap off a year of working visits by head of states here to the White House. And I can't think of a better way to finish.
I recall and I remind everyone that, in 2019, the first working visit by a head of state to the White House was by Colombian President Iván Duque. And this, we now cap it off with Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benítez, which shows really a commitment by the President to right here, the Western Hemisphere, the neighborhood we live in, and our friends, allies, and partners in the region, and in dealing with some of the crises that we're facing, particularly Venezuela and amongst great allies in that cause, and also in our regional response to it.
So, I mean, just to kind of just go back and kind of relay some of those visits: I mean, we began the year with Colombia. We've seen Brazil. We've seen the Caribbean five -- the Mar-a-Lago summit with the leaders of the Caribbean five countries. It was Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Lucia, and the Bahamas.
We saw it at UNGA -- bilats with Presidents of El Salvador, with Honduras. We saw the meetings -- (inaudible) about half a dozen heads of state at UNGA, at the United Nations General Assembly just recently. And capping it off now, Paraguay.
One would be hard-pressed really to think about any previous administration that in one year had so many head of state engagements with the Western Hemisphere. And again, it goes to show our dedication and the President's dedication, particularly to the Western Hemisphere, to the neighborhood we live in, and the (inaudible) that has for us as good neighbors and partners right here in the Americas.
President -- the visit with President Benítez of Paraguay also has a lot of important angles to it. As I mentioned beforehand, he has been one of the best allies of the United States and a leader in the region as it comes to support for democracy, for support of Venezuela, of Interim President Juan Guaidó as the democratically elected head of the National Assembly and hence, pursuant to their constitution, head of state there.
He's also been a great ally in regards to the efforts in Bolivia for a transition there towards free and fair elections, where he supported Bolivian Interim President Jeanine Áñez, and was a key -- frankly, an important angle in helping the transit of President Morales to Mexico when they were having problems doing so, which was an important ally in that regard.
Our relationships go far, from an economic perspective. We have been looking, working with them in regards to the International Development Finance Corporation, previously known as OPIC, and looking at projects.
There will be a joint statement with two countries (inaudible) with some deliverables that have been -- that have been agreed to, and progress on some main issues. But those engagements are a continuation.
Frankly speaking, as a former Treasury official, in regards to our office, Treasury's Office of Technical Assistance has a longstanding working relationship with Paraguay's Ministry of Finance and their central bank, which has helped them to have efficient and accountable management of government finances and develop deeper financial markets there to support their investment in economic growth. We're really proud of, really, the Paraguay program. The Office of Technical Assistance in the Treasury has really been a backbone of that program and success story there.
And we hope to continue furthering these economic issues within our trade and investment framework agreement, and as well as helping them move forward and look to -- obviously, we know Paraguay is very proud of its beef market and its beef products. And we want to make sure that within, obviously, our regulatory authority and within those health standards, we can help them expand their beef market and engage more in that.
So there's a whole bunch of economic realms in that regards.
Geopolitically, as I mentioned, Venezuela, but also Paraguay remains the only country in South America to recognize Taiwan. And that’s incredibly important. That’s an important signal. And we look forward there to working together with our Taiwanese partners more and helping Paraguay succeed -- to be a success story there in the region and helping introduce more of trade and investment there dealing with some of the other geopolitical pressures that are clear that some of the neighboring countries they face.
It's an interesting time. It's a dynamic time there. And in the MERCOSUR, in particular, their trade bloc -- I mean, we had elections in Uruguay where we have now a President that's more -- that'll be much more U.S.-leaning and much more friendly to the United States with President Lacalle there.
Obviously, President Bolsonaro is one of the best relationships that we have, a key ally of President Trump's in the region, which is extraordinarily exciting.
Now, with the addition of the President of Uruguay [Paraguay], President Abdo, who is coming to visit, has been one of the best allies there in the MERCOSUR region.
And then, obviously, there's been elections in Argentina, which have taken the kind of -- a "We'll see" approach. Obviously, they've had good conversations. President Fernán- -- now-President Fernández and President Trump had a good phone call. There are some concerns that we have from a foreign policy dynamic, but we hope to be able to get over those and help Argentina (inaudible) from the deep economic problems it's having.
So it's an interesting region. It's an interesting dynamic. And I can't think of a better way to begin 2019 than the visit of (inaudible) the best allies of the United States, Colombian President Iván Duque, and capping off 2019 with a visit of another great ally of the United States in the Western Hemisphere, President Abdo Benítez of Paraguay.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: With that, we'll move over to questions. Like I said, we've got a couple minutes. So I'll turn it over to the operator to (inaudible) questions.
Q Hi. I have a question about the Mexican drug cartels. The President tweeted that the plans to designate them terrorist organizations was temporarily put on hold. I was wondering what time frame "temporarily" referred to, if that would come to a head at some point, and how long "temporary" meant and how that might change.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, for the purpose of this call, we want to keep the questions focused on Paraguay. [Senior administration official], I'll defer to you if you want to address that, but otherwise we're going to focus on questions that are on the topic.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I mean, I really defer to you, [senior administration official]. (Laughs.)
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Okay. Yeah, let's move on to another question that's actually on the Paraguay visit.
And if you want to follow up, again, my name is [senior administration official]. Feel free to send me an email and we'll be happy to work with you to get you an answer.
Q Si, buenas tardes. Good afternoon. I don't know if I have the right --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good afternoon.
Q Okay.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yes.
Q It's Carla Angola. Carla Angola from EVTV Miami. Thank you for this opportunity. I will ask you in Spanish, if I can?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure.
Q (Speaks Spanish.) (No translation provided.)
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: (Speaks Spanish.) (No translation provided.)
Q (Speaks Spanish.) (No translation provided.)
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: (Speaks Spanish.) (No translation provided.)
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hello? Hello?
OPERATOR: It appears that his line is muted.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sorry, yeah. We’re good to move forward. I think we’ve got time for one more question. And then I know [senior administration official] has a conflict coming up, but we’ve got time for one more question.
Q Hi --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Can I -- I’m sorry. Can I -- let me translate that into English for those that don’t speak Spanish. I’m sorry, I just -- I got (inaudible). That’s what [senior administration official] was waiting for. I’m sorry, that was my bad.
So let me just, real quickly, just state -- the question before had asked whether we felt -- you know, obviously Paraguay has been a partner in the Rio Treaty sanctions. As you know, the Rio Treaty countries, which are -- they’re really a community of democracies. Over a dozen democracies, including the United States, sanctioned 29 corrupt and human rights violators and people that are helping the Maduro dictatorship in Venezuela.
One of those individuals, Jorge Rodriguez, which is one of Maduro’s deputies, was the one that was invited to the inauguration, who came in late at night on a Turkish plane -- showed up for President Fernández’s inauguration in Argentina, which caused, frankly, my early departure from that.
And the point there was that an individual sanctioned not only by the United States, but by this community of democracies -- clearly, his invitation by the Fernández government is a violation and an affront by the Fernández government of the Rio Treaty, of the community of democracies, frankly -- of the over dozen democracies that supported the sanctioning of these individuals not for being boy scouts, but for violating human rights for corruption, and for their attack on democracy in Venezuela.
And frankly, as a community of democracies, we should support that -- we should support that commitment on a joint basis.
President Abdo and Paraguay have been firm supporters of the efforts of the Rio Treaty and have been firm supporters of the democratic process -- and, you know, whether it’s in the Lima Group treaty, et cetera -- for a free and fair transition to democracy in Venezuela, and free and fair elections, which also highlights the partnership and why we’re pleased to end this year's working visit to the White House with him.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. With that, it looks like we’re out of time. So thanks everyone. If there are any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly.
Again, just to go over the ground rules: This is for attribution to a senior administration official. While I gave [senior administration official]'s name and my name were mentioned, those are not for attribution.
And I look forward to continuing to work with everyone.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. Thank you.
END 2:55 P.M. EST
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