The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has met this Friday with the President of Honduras, Nasry Asfura, with the aim of strengthening cooperation in defense, security, and migration policy, and has expressly praised his role in the fight against “narco-terrorism.”
Rubio also emphasized the recent classification of the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs as “terrorist organizations,” highlighting that both countries are “facing narco-terrorists” and contributing to making the region “safer and more prosperous,” according to what the secretary himself has published on his social networks.
In an official note, the U.S. Department of State has highlighted the leadership of the Honduran president in the “Operation Shield of the Americas and the American Coalition against the Cartels.”
The top figure in U.S. diplomacy has indicated that, at the meeting, they also addressed the “expansion of bilateral trade and U.S. investment in Honduras,” as well as Washington’s support for the “Honduran people in the face of the drought caused by El Niño.”
For his part, Asfura has stated on his social networks that the meeting has consolidated the “strategic alliance” between Honduras and the United States and has reiterated his commitment to “security, cooperation, and mutual respect,” defending “always” the interests of the Central American country.
The Honduran president is on an official tour in the United States to hold meetings with the International Monetary Fund, the Millennium Account, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other international counterparts. This is his sixth visit to the northern country, the fifth since he took office in late January.