Mario Abdo Benítez received the credentials of the new US ambassador to the country, Marc Ostfield, with whom he hopes to continue a relationship marked by the democratic principles shared by both countries.
Abdo Benítez met with the US ambassador at the Palacio de López, accompanied by his foreign minister, Euclides Acevedo.
On his Twitter account, the president welcomed Ostfield, a career diplomat who was nominated in June last year by US President Joe Biden, and who arrived in the country on February 25.
“Our history with the United States is marked by the democratic principles that we share. We are sure that, with your collaboration, we will continue down this path”, published the ruler on the social network.
For his part, the head of Paraguayan diplomacy told journalists that the arrival of the new ambassador “is nothing more than the legitimation of a very prosperous political and economic relationship” between the two countries and that he hoped they will continue to have.
Acevedo, who on Monday received the new US ambassador for the delivery of his credentials, said that the Government of Paraguay has been “very clear” in its intention that the fight against organized crime must continue.
But he indicated that this requires “a common data bank and greater technological incorporation in the prosecution of international crime.”
Ostfield, who has more than 30 years of foreign policy experience, served as an ombudsman for the State Department.
Last December, the diplomat was confirmed in the position by the United States Senate.
He replaces Lee McClenny, who led the US Embassy in Asunción from March 2018 to September 2020.
After the official ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted the presence of the new diplomatic representative who, according to what he said, legitimizes the prosperous political and economic relationship with Paraguay.
“We continue to agree in the fight without fainting against organized crime, against corruption in public administration and obviously the defense of democracy, the freedom of human rights that are prerequisites for coexistence,” he said.
GREATER TECHNOLOGY AND COMMON DATA BANK
Minister Acevedo stressed that the fight against organized crime is a clear objective for the Paraguayan Executive, an issue that was already addressed with the new ambassador during the delivery of his credential copies to the National Foreign Ministry.
“We were very clear in the sense that the fight against organized crime must continue and we need a common data bank and a greater technological incorporation in the prosecution of international crime,” he said.
RESUME
It should be noted that the US Senate confirmed Marc Ostfield as US Ambassador to Paraguay on December 18, 2021.
The new diplomatic representative accredited to the Paraguayan Government is a career officer of the Senior Executive Service of the US Government and has held leadership roles in the US Department of State since 2002; previous positions include his service as the Department’s Ombudsman; Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Foreign Service Institute; Director of the Office of Global Policy and Affairs at the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
In addition, he was Senior Foreign Affairs Officer of the Office of Scientific and Technological Cooperation; and Senior Advisor on Bioterrorism, Biodefense, and Health Security at the Office of International Health and Biodefense.
Between 1987 and 2002, Ambassador Ostfield created and directed large-scale programs for USAID, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs), and other donor-funded programs on global health and HIV/AIDS, in the United States, Latin America, and around the world.
Ambassador Ostfield has published and lectured extensively on foreign policy, national security, and global health, and has taught group dynamics and leadership development. He has received numerous professional, academic, and community service honors, including the Presidential Rank Award; the Citation of Merit from the US National Counterterrorism Center; multiple top honor and honor of merit awards from the US Department of State; the American Association for the Advancement of Science Diplomacy Scholarship; the Jacob K. Javits Grant from the US Department of Education; and the President’s Award for Volunteer Service as a volunteer firefighter since 1995.
