Ecuador called a meeting of South Pacific countries for Wednesday July 29, 2020 regarding Chinese fleet
By Roger Velez
Ecuador convened a meeting with Colombia, Peru and Chile, which are part of the South Pacific Commission, for this Wednesday, July 29, where the presence of fishing vessels from various countries near Galapagos will be analyzed.
The announcement was made by the Foreign Minister, Luis Gallegos, in a joint press conference with the Minister of Defense, Oswaldo Jarrín, the State Attorney, Íñigo Salvador, and the president of the Governing Council of the Special Regime of Galapagos, Norman Wray, this Monday, July 27, 2020.
Gallegos said that Panama is expected to participate as the guest country at this meeting, which will be at the delegate level. “After that meeting, I will speak with the Foreign Ministers of each of the countries to discuss the concern we have about these issues that fundamentally have to do with defending the conservation and sustainability of natural resources,” he noted.
For his part, Jarrín emphasized that none of the fishing vessels have entered the marine reserve and dismissed as “a somewhat uncomfortable speculation” that they would be supplied with fuel from the interior of Ecuador.
Government authorities did not specify how many vessels are involved and pointed out that some have flags of Panama and also Libya.
The Foreign Minister pointed out that he has also sent several warnings to the Chinese Embassy in Quito and to Beijing not to enter the exclusive maritime zone of Ecuador.
The Prosecutor noted that at the moment “there are no elements for claims actions” that could boost his office, as it is something that is handled through diplomatic channels.
Gallegos said that, at the same time, progress will be made in “integrating the views of specialists and working on a national strategy for the conservation of the Galapagos. It will be the Foreign Ministry together with these groups that will meet to see the methodology, establish the systems, “he noted, referring to an announcement by President Moreno.
The authorities also indicated that studies are being carried out to expand the continental shelf that will allow greater protection of the Galapagos Islands.
This content has been originally published by Diario EL COMERCIO at the following address: https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/ecuador-reunion-paises-pacifico-china.html
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