Andres Garcia
The United States National Security Council (NSC) will support Ecuador against “any aggression directed towards its economic and environmental sovereignty”, after Carondelet announced the formation of a public-private commission to design a protection strategy for the Galapagos Islands , in the presence of an international flag fishing fleet near its Exclusive Economic Zone.
The NSC, through its Twitter account, announced this Wednesday, July 29, 2020, its “support for President Lenín Moreno and his friends and partners in Ecuador.” The agency shared a Tweet made by the United States Southern Command, where it was noted that “Ecuador set off alarms due to the presence of a huge fleet of fishing vessels, mostly of Chinese flag, near the protection zone of the Galapagos Islands”.
Last Monday, Luis Gallegos, Foreign Minister of the Republic, reiterated that it was communicated to China that Ecuador will enforce its maritime rights, without distinction of flags. He assured that dialogue and the articulation of a regional response to indiscriminate fishing in international waters of the Pacific coast will be prioritized.
Oswaldo Jarrín, Minister of Defense, confirmed that none of these vessels have entered the marine reserve. The Attorney General of the State, Íñigo Salvador, said that at the moment “there are no elements for vindication actions” that could promote his office, since it is something that is handled through diplomatic channels.
This Wednesday, July 29, the Executive Committee of the Permanent Commission of the South Pacific (CPPS) met. At the meeting, a resolution was approved that condemns illegal fishing in international waters, accepting Ecuador’s proposal, to which were added the suggestions of the representatives of Colombia, Chile and Peru.
At the meeting, the member countries agreed to urgently convene an Extraordinary Assembly, to adopt possible actions to confront these types of threats. They reaffirmed their commitment to ocean conservation and sustainable fishing, in line with international instruments.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the presence of foreign flag fleets in the vicinity of the exclusive insular and continental economic zones of Ecuador, motivated the articulation of a proposal to achieve a more effective and joint coordination, in terms of conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, as well as the fight against illegal fishing.
This content has been originally published by Diario EL COMERCIO at the following address: https://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/seguridad-eeuu-respaldo-ecuador-galapagos.html
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