President Lula speaks by phone with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa

On Tuesday morning, January 23, Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, spoke by phone with the President of the Republic of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, from the Alvorada Palace. Noboa presented the president with an analysis of the country's fight against drug trafficking and organized crime.

Lula expressed solidarity with President Noboa and stated that Brazil is willing to assist Ecuador, including through intelligence and security cooperation. He emphasized that the fight against organized crime is a challenge for Brazil at all levels of government, made more difficult by the country's porous and long land and sea borders.

President Lula recalled that Brazil currently holds the General Secretariat of Ameripol, a regional organization comprised of thirty countries dedicated to police cooperation and information exchange. The director-general of the Brazilian Federal Police, who has been working on regional coordination initiatives, currently holds Ameripol’s executive secretariat.

Both agreed that South American countries must work together to combat organized crime, which affects everyone, and that improving regional integration is a necessary condition for success. They also stressed the importance of working with drug-consuming countries to effectively combat drug trafficking.