Italy and Equador want to boost collaboration in the fight against organized crime and strengthen their "excellent relations" in a raft of areas, the foreign ministry stated during a visit by undersecretary Maria Tripodi.
"Ecuador. Excellent Relations. Total agreement on the main global issues and signing of major cooperation in the fight against organized crime," Tripodi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
#AmLat is a priority of our foreign policy!" the tweet underlined.
During her visit to Ecuador, accompanied by Italy's ambassador Giovanni Davol, Tripodi held "friutful" talks with the country's foreign minister Gabriela Sommerfeld on "bilateral political and commercial ties, legal diplomacy, the fight against transnational crime, and migration," said a foreign ministry statement on Tuesday.
The talks also focussed on the ongoing regional crises in Haiti and Venezuela, the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine and the activities of Italy's overseas development aid department including its "particularly important" debt conversion programme, said the statement.
Tripodi and Sommerfeld also signed deals on work permits for diplomatic officials' family members and the 'Amazonia sin fuego' development cooperation programme, the statement continued.
Tripodi later held talks focussed on cooperation and the fight against drug trafficking with Ecuador's defence minister Roberto Quintero.
"I had a fruitful bilateral meeting with the Undersecretary of Defense of Ecuador #RobertoQuintero," Tripodi wrote in a separate tweet.
"Focus on cooperation, regional issues and industrial partnership," the tweet underlined.
During her visit, Tripodi chaired the launch event of a programme (IILA-FIEDS) to support and strengthen Ecuador's prison system, according to the foreign ministry.
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