PRESIDENT ARÉVALO:
[Via interpreter] Good morning, everyone. And good morning particularly
Secretary of State Rubio and his delegation. Secretary Rubio, as I said to you
yesterday afternoon in our conversations, we welcome you to Guatemala and we
greet Donald Trump’s government Administration. Your presence here today opens
new opportunities for cooperation between our countries. Guatemala is and will
continue to be the United States partner to address the issues that we face as
countries, but also to build more dignified societies and with greater
opportunities for development. Our countries share 176 years of diplomatic
relations that bring us together and present a common horizon for both.
We are now confronted with the challenges of 21st century -- migration, border
security, and combat of transnational crime. For this reason, these challenges
have also been the core of the work agenda that we now share. These challenges
need to be addressed comprehensively and jointly to guarantee regional
stability, the dignity of our peoples, and the security of our countries.
As a government, we have clarity of the vision of the future that we are
building for Guatemala -- a joint vision for all the peoples and sectors of our
country.
We believe in a new migration model that will allow us to address the phenomenon
of migration in a humanitarian and comprehensive manner to address the causes
that have forced so many Guatemalan men and women to leave their communities,
their families, their country. As part of this strategy, we have implemented
that the return home plan that makes it possible for our brethren back home to
be dignified and that their reintegration be facilitated. To migrants in the
United States, we repeat: You are not alone. We are with you. Our government
works with our sight to ensure your dignity and safety, and to resolve the
migration crisis will allow us to create conditions to find long-term solutions.
In this framework, we make a commitment to broaden the capacities that allow
more Guatemalan men and women to go -- come back to their home, Guatemala, where
we will welcome you with the dignity and with more opportunities. In this
framework, we have agreed to increase by 40 percent the number of flights of
deportees, both national returnees as well as deportees from other nationalities
for their ulterior repatriation. The details of this process will be discussed
and binational working groups to be established for that purpose.
However, the permanent response to migration is to bring development for people
not to have to leave the country. For this reason, a delegation led by the
Government of Guatemala and with the support of the private sector will visit --
will perform a high-level visit to Washington, D.C. in coming weeks to create
agreements in terms of economic productive development and investment to ensure
tangible impact, positive impact for Guatemala.
On the other hand, we know that border security is key to address these
challenges. We understand that by protecting Guatemala’s territory, we care for
and protect the region, as we have been doing with initiatives that -- the Fire
Belt with Mexico and the special forest operations in Petén, Guatemala. For that
reason, we have shared with Secretary Rubio the creation, the protection -- for
border control and protection task force in the northern border of our country,
along the almost 300 kilometers of border -- a combined force of the national
civic police and the national armed forces that will protect and combat all
forms of transnational crime. With a border that has been strengthened and which
is secure, we guarantee the peace and security of our people.
We have requested the re-establishment of cooperation programs in terms of
development and security, and we appreciate the approval by Secretary Rubio to
consider priority problems to combat transnational crime, including narco-traffic
and particularly combatting the trafficking on fentanyl, the trafficking of
persons, border security, and prevent the conditions that produce the
Guatemalans’ migration in this regard.
We thank Secretary Rubio for the letter, dated today, where he expresses his
support for the establishment of a partnership for the development of a priority
infrastructure established by my government -- ground infrastructure, air
infrastructure, sea infrastructure, and rail infrastructure, including the
metro.
Mr. Secretary, we appreciate your expressions of support to democracy, respect
for the sovereign decision of the people in the ballots, combat of corruption,
and strengthening democratic institutions. Guatemala is a country of people who
are hardworking, who are solidary, and who get ahead -- a dignified people with
commitment with the present and future of Guatemala. We will continue to act
with firmness to build a safer country with dignity, prosperity, and democracy.
And with these objectives we know that the United States is a key partner. Thank
you very much.
MODERATOR: [Via interpreter] We have heard
the President of the Republic of Guatemala, and now we give the floor to Mr.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States.
SECSTATE RUBIO: [Via interpreter] Mr.
President, thank you very much for having us and welcoming us so openly. You’ve
given me -- you gave me so much time last night and this morning as well. I
think this has been such an impactful visit that there was an earthquake that we
felt. It’s the first time I have ever felt an earthquake in my life. I was awake
at 1:00 in the morning. I felt some movement. I thought maybe I was dizzy, I
don’t know, and then I realized this morning that no, there was a small
earthquake. I’d never experienced that in Miami. So that was the impact of this
trip.
In all seriousness, thank you very much. First, I’d like to commend you for your
commitment to democracy, to institutions. We said last night that democracy
really is a modern moment. During most of the history of humanity, democracy has
only existed for under 300 years, approximately, and it’s difficult -- it’s easy
to write, hard to establish, because it’s not -- hard to maintain, because it’s
not natural, the idea that people can govern themselves through the ballot box
in a republic where they put the power in the hands of elected officials to
determine the destiny of a country while always answering to the people again at
the polls. That is not easy, and each era, each generation must defend it. And
I’d like to commend you for your commitment to defending the institutions of a
republic, and we will continue to work together with you so that you can achieve
what you wish to achieve along that road.
I’d like to thank you again for the commitment you’ve made regarding migration,
which is an issue that affects us. Guatemala is a country that confronts all
aspects of what’s happening in our hemisphere. You are a destination. You are
also a transit country as well, as you have had many people who have had to
leave this country to seek out other opportunities. And on top of all that,
you’ve had to face the fact that geographically you are in the middle of a
massive drug and drug trafficking industry that uses your country as a
transshipment point for moving this poison that is on its way to the United
States. And I thank you for all of your cooperation, which we will continue to
strengthen, in order to intervene and prevent it not only from coming to the
United States but to prevent it from corrupting the institutions of this country
and harming your economic plans.
I’m very pleased to have signed that letter today in support of everything that
we can do, but specifically the opportunity that exists for the Army Corps of
Engineers of the U.S. to work together with your government to create
preliminary plans that are necessary in order to build a modern port and
everything that is necessary in order to have an economy that moves forward.
These projects as they progress will create employment in the short term in
construction and labor, which is important because that builds a middle class,
but in the long term it will position Guatemala as a hub of economic activity in
the region -- a vision that takes some time to build, but it will be something
positive and really revolutionary for the future of this country. We’d also like
to thank you, and we’re doing everything we can.
And finally, we thank you very much for your support and the relationship that
you already have with Taiwan, another democracy. It’s not easy in a world where
there is a lot of pressure to change that recognition and to break those ties,
but you have always stood firm, and we look for opportunities for that only --
not only to be a diplomatic relationship, but for it also to be an economic
relationship with investments and opportunities.
So in all of these areas, we will continue to work together -- two peoples who
are not only allies and neighbors, but we are united by a long history and there
are so many things that we have in common in our cultures and our cooperation.
So I’d like to thank you, and briefly in English, if I may, I’d like to say a
few words. And he speaks English perfectly well, just so you know. If you didn’t
know that, his English is perfect. His English is better than my Spanish.
[In English] I just want to say a few words. First off, I want to thank this
very warm reception that I have received here from our allies, our partners in
Guatemala, with whom we have a long history of diplomatic and economic and
cultural engagement. We’re not just neighbors; we’re allies, we’re friends, and
I think that will be evidenced by the work that we’ve done here in the day that
we -- in the hours that we have been here. The -- The very important offer of
cooperation, which was already existing -- Guatemala was already accepting
deportation flights of their nationals who were returning home, and not just
accepting them as deportees but reintegrating them into society.
In fact, I want to thank the business community here who very firmly has said
that this is an important part of bringing back their brothers and sisters and
reintegrating them into the economic hopes and dreams as a labor force for the
future. And so I think that’s a very important step by the government and also
by the private sector, which has been so supportive.
The President who has made the offer today, then we’ll be working on the details
of all this -- but the offer to increase these flights -- these -- by -- and
these deportations by 40 percent. It’s very important for us in terms of the
migratory situation that we’re facing. His willingness to accept not just
nationals but those from other nationalities as they seek to ultimately return
to their own homelands is also important.
And we’ve pledged our support with those efforts, as we’ve done with other
countries, like Panama. We recognize that in addition to those who may be
returned because they’re currently in the United States, there are those who are
here now from faraway places. And we are pledged to do all we can to help assist
getting them from here to the -- to their final destinations and their
homelands.
In addition, our law enforcement cooperation is very strong. Tragically,
Guatemala, because of its geography has been a place of transshipment of drugs.
At one time it was through aerial, small little airplanes that landed in
clandestine fields. At one time it was 70 to 80 flights a year. Now, it was --
last year I think there was one, and we hope this year it’ll be zero. And that’s
thanks to the dedication that the authorities here have placed in shutting that
down, but those maritime routes and other routes still exist. And it takes
resources, and frankly, courage and dedication to go after those routes and shut
down those routes. And we, today, will reauthorize programs that allow us to
continue to work in partnership to stop that from happening.
Drug trafficking organizations who do not simply leave violence along the way
and obviously ship drugs into the United States that are very deadly, but they
also -- their existence in any country -- one of the impacts that it has is it
creates corruption. It compromises institutions and makes it harder to govern a
country and progress moving forward. We recognize that that is the nefarious
metastasis that often happens with the presence of these groups. And we are
going to do everything -- continue to do everything we can to help in that
endeavor. And today I’ll be signing waivers on foreign aid that will continue
that partnership and hope to build on it as well.
In addition, there are opportunities to cooperate economically. Today I’ve
signed a letter of support pledging the full cooperation of the State Department
on a very specific project, which is the partnership between the Government of
Guatemala and the Army Corps of Engineers in the United States to begin
preliminary planning for the expansion of not one but two new port facilities,
and in addition to that, the opportunity to do the interconnections through
highways and railroads so that Guatemala can become an economic hub of trade and
commerce, creating even more opportunity for the people of the region and of
Guatemala.
And finally, we must recognize the commitment the President and his
Administration have had to democracy and to freedom and to -- and respect for
institutions and the rule of law. Democracy is a pretty new concept. It’s less
than 300 years old. It’s easy to write on a piece of paper. It’s hard to
maintain. And your commitment to maintaining and defending democracy and the
stability of institutions, the integrity of institutions, is critical for
Guatemala’s future. It’s critical for all of our futures in every country where
it’s threatened.
And in particular, as part of that is your longstanding friendship and
relationship with the people of Taiwan. And we hope -- and we’ll do all we can
to expand it beyond just the diplomatic realm to an economic one. We’ll do all
we can to facilitate more Taiwanese investment in the economy of Guatemala so
that it can continue to grow into the advanced, prosperous, 21st-century economy
that allows it to be a place where all of its people can flourish and prosper
and leave their children better off than themselves.
Thank you. Muchísimas gracias.
MODERATOR: [Via interpreter] We have heard
the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And at this time, we answer questions. The
first question by Guatemala, by Eduardo Perea.
QUESTION: [Via interpreter] Good morning, President, Secretary Rubio. I’d
like to ask you how prepared is Guatemala, how ready is Guatemala to be
considered a third safe country, and what is your official position regarding
China and Taiwan?
PRESIDENT ARÉVALO: [Via interpreter] Good
morning. A pleasure to see you again. A safe country is not a topic that exists.
It was not discussed in title or content. What we have now is a new migration
arrangement that guarantees safety, humanitarian conditions for repatriation
processes in the case of Guatemalans and for the case of deportations of other
nationals in such a way that they can continue on to their respective countries
of origin, which are elements that have nothing to do with the concept of "third
safe country."
We -- About your second question,
our relationship with Taiwan, we have stated
from the first moment that we maintain our diplomatic relationship with Taiwan
and that we hope to be able to improve on them within the framework of our
government Administration to be able to further develop them in terms of
economics and investment, as Secretary Rubio has said.
MODERATOR: The second question is by the
United States, Eric Martin.
QUESTION: Gracias. Thank you, Secretary Rubio, Presidente Arévalo.
Secretary Rubio, I’d like to ask you about USAID. Guatemala has been a large
recipient of USAID in recent years as a developing nation, and the halt of
funding -- we’ve spoken with contractors and Foreign Service officers who work
for you. They say that the impact on lifesaving programs worldwide, even with
the waiver, has been severe, has provoked chaos and confusion among
rank-and-file staff, who say it’s been severely demoralizing, especially the
order to return home. Isn’t all of this angst, confusion, and upheaval a gift to
America’s geopolitical, geostrategic rivals such as Russia and China?
[Via interpreter] President Arévalo, I would like to ask you -- first of all,
I’d like to say that it’s a pleasure to see you again. We saw each other last in
Washington before you were inaugurated as President. Now, regarding the return
of Guatemalans from the U.S., what kind of work or jobs do you expect that
deportees will be able to do here in Guatemala? What is the role of the private
sector in the reintegration process? And could you please share a few of the
companies that are involved in the My First Home initiative? Thank you to both
of you.
SECSTATE RUBIO: I’ll answer the USAID
question first. Let me walk everybody through these steps; they’re important.
Our goal for USAID was to align the programs that it fulfills with the foreign
policy of the United States. What would be a gift to our geopolitical rivals is
billions of dollars in foreign aid that is not aligned to the national interest
and the foreign policy of the United States. If you read the
statute that created USAID, it is supposed to
take policy direction from the President, the National Security Council, and the
Secretary of State. And yet, over the last two decades, it has not, and it has
gotten worse and worse. And multiple Administrations have complained about it,
but none of done anything about it. We are going to do something about it.
Our preference was to go into USAID and work from the top down in identifying
all of our programs. What are all the programs we fund around the world? Which
are the ones that make us safer, stronger, and more prosperous? Which are the
ones that align us with the foreign policy of the United States? And which are
the ones that we should not be involved in? Not only is this a good idea, we owe
it to the American taxpayer because this is taxpayer money. This is not a
charity. These are not private funds. This is American taxpayer funds, and we
have an obligation to spend it wisely. It is not even -- in some ways, some of
that money could be freed up to be spent, even more money, on the real
priorities by repurposing it. That was our hope.
Unfortunately, we had very little cooperation. We didn’t have that problem at
State Department, by the way. At State Department, our program officers, we got
a really good insight, and that’s why every single day we are issuing waivers on
State Department programs. On USAID, unfortunately, we did not get the same
level of cooperation. In fact, we had individuals, even after the orders were
issued, that were still trying to push payments through in contravention and in
direct insubordination. And so now we’ve had to do it in the opposite direction.
It is not the direction I wanted it. It’s not the way we wanted to do it
initially, but it is the way we will have to do it now.
About the notice
that was issued yesterday, if you read on it, it says language, very specific
language. It talks about specially designated programs as being exempt from the
order of returning home. And that language is deliberate because we are now
going to have to work from the bottom up instead of the top down to identify
which programs should be specially designated and therefore exempted from that
order. Our preference would have been to do this in a more orderly fashion from
the top down, but we had no cooperation, and in fact insubordination, and so it
required us to work from the bottom up.
And so we are, as I speak to you now, openly engaging missions all over the
world that have a USAID presence to identify which programs they are running so
that we can define those that we’re going to specially designate because they
further our national -- and are aligned with our national interest. And those
that do not will not continue. This not about ending foreign aid. It is about
structuring it in a way that furthers the national interest of the United
States. And in fact, because I’m here today, we’ve already had insight into what
some of those programs are here that contribute to some of the things we’ve
discussed here today.
That is what we seek to preserve, because they further our national interest,
because they make us stronger, because they make us safer, because they allow
our economy to grow and create prosperity -- and not just for us but for our
partners and allies. And that’s what we hope to be able to achieve here in the
coming hours and days.
PRESIDENT ARÉVALO: [Via interpreter] About
your question about returnees, it is very difficult to decide in advance where
we will be able to locate returnees because this is a population that we don’t
know well yet what skills they bring back, what capacities they bring, whether
they’re formal, informal. And it is only based on that knowledge that we can
look for and explore the best way to help them to become a part of the labor
market in Guatemala and explore different possibilities, not only in terms of
jobs but possibly in terms of investment. Some of them may be coming with
savings, and we can make credit available to them, and so on and so forth.
In the
framework of our return home plan, [Spanish
language] in the second phase of the plan we have established a process through
which the ministry -- the
Migration Institute [Spanish language] with the Ministry of Labor
together interview returnees to identify precisely their qualifications, their
capabilities, their skills, if they bring them formally, and to be able to begin
to understand all of it.
On the other hand, we are holding conversations with different companies, the
private sector in general, to identify those that are ready to absorb some of
these migrants, but this availability will be dependent on the capabilities that
we identify as they return. For example, we expect there’s going to be people
who come with vast experience in one topic -- to give you an example, in
installing air conditioners -- but did it without any technical formal training.
They don’t have a certificate to confirm that they are qualified. In identifying
a person with those skills without a certificate, we will send them to a
certificate program within the CAP or the ministry of education that will
recognize that skill and in this manner will make it possible for him/her to be
absorbed by a company that is looking for technicians in refrigeration.
A very simple example -- we know that our returnees will come back speaking
English, which for the tourism industry that is growing in Guatemala is
necessary. Tourism in Guatemala grew by 13.7 percent; last year we exceeded 3
million visitors. It’s a growing industry, and all of these persons who now come
with English as an added skill but might also bring experience in the
hospitality industry, hotels, restaurants, cruise ships -- all of these persons
can be reabsorbed. But the first task is go through this process of diagnosis,
to call it something, of initial classification, to be able to identify the
labor supply that we have and the labor demand that the private sector will
have.
MODERATOR: [Via interpreter] We then
continue. The next question is by Guatemala, by Sergio Morales, journalist.
QUESTION: [Via interpreter] President, Secretary, good afternoon. Welcome
to Guatemala. Well, let’s say if these agreements don’t become true, what can
Guatemala do?
Speaking about sanctions, I would like to ask you if the United States is going
to keep the sanctions against persons accused of corruption and anti-democratic
practices, because many of them contributed to the triumph of President Trump.
And last, I want to ask you about Taiwan. How much are you concerned about
Chinese influence in Guatemala through a gigantic technological company whereby
they have become positioned in the agencies of the state? How much concern do
you have?
SECSTATE RUBIO: [Via interpreter] In the
first part, this is not a question of -- we have a need domestically for an ally
country that’s helping us. It’s a matter of people who have the obligation to
accept under an international agreement, so we’re just cooperating in this
process. It’s not a matter of sanctioning a government for not cooperating.
That’s what friends and allies do to help each other out, as we are committed to
working with you on several projects, not only in economic development but also
confronting drug trafficking and other actors that try to corrupt the country.
The second phase -- we’ve only been in power for two weeks -- there have been no
changes to sanctions against individuals. So far, every Administration always
reviews existing sanctions that they have inherited from previous
Administrations, but to date no decisions have been made in that regard, nor
have these been discussed or contemplated.
And third, regarding the China question, yes, it is difficult. We know that the
government in Beijing is committed not only to breaking those ties but also to
coming into important sectors of the economy, and they are obsessed with
establishing or dominating telecommunications through Huawei and other
companies. And this is a very serious threat to a country’s security to be able
to communicate without interruptions.
They also like to make a lot of promises. We’ve seen case after case where the
Chinese Government comes in with billions of dollars, they promise, they start a
project, but then they never finish. They bring in their own workers to do the
work, and in the end the project is either incomplete or they are in debt and
now a government owes them billions of dollars in what we call a debt trap. And
we want governments to know about that risk.
I also think that the relationship with Taiwan, as I said, we’ll do everything
we can to help with that. We are going to support it not only being diplomatic
recognition, but for it to also have economic benefits, to do anything possible
to bring investment in the economy, Guatemala’s developing economy.
MODERATOR: [Via interpreter] Next question
and last question, also by the United States, by Celia Mendoza.
QUESTION: [Via interpreter] Thanks very much to both of you.
[In English] How is the Administration planning to carry out the proposal of
President Trump to own Gaza and relocate Palestinians?
For how long the U.S.
will be planning to stay in that territory? And how can you accomplish the
rebuild plan, as regional partners have rejected the proposal to forcibly
relocate Palestinians, advocate for the two-state solution, and Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas has called for the United Nations to step in to protect
the rights of the Palestinian people?
[Via interpreter] President, the question for you is we know that now you will
have an agreement that is similar to the one in Panama. Will you receive foreign
nationals in Guatemala on these flights, the deportation flights coming from the
United States? And how would that work? And as in El Salvador, would you be
willing to receive members of gangs such as Tren de Aragua, other criminal
gangs?
SECSTATE RUBIO: Let me answer the first
question. What President Trump said yesterday is an acknowledgement of the
following: Gaza has been severely damaged. If you look at the aerial imagery,
you see what’s happening, the billions of dollars that are going to be required
for reconstruction are enormous. Some areas have been rendered unlivable, now
and for the foreseeable future. And so what the President -- what President
Trump announced yesterday is the offer, the willingness of the United States to
become responsible for the reconstruction of that area.
And while you are rebuilding, while you’re clearing debris -- by the way, there
are unexploded munitions; there are all kinds of Hamas weaponry still buried
underground. For people to be able to live in a place safely, all of that has to
be removed. It’s an enormous undertaking. And the only thing President Trump has
done -- very generously, in my view -- is offer the United States willingness to
step in, clear the debris, clean the place up from all the destruction that’s on
the ground, clean it up of all these unexploded munitions.
And in the meantime, the people living there will not be able -- the people who
call that home will not be able to live there while you have crews coming and
removing debris, while you have munitions being removed, et cetera. That’s the
offer that he’s made. It’s actually -- he made a similar -- obviously, we didn’t
have a conflict at the time, but when he -- in his first term, he offered a $50
billion plan to help Palestinians, which was rejected by the PA and obviously
others. So in the interim, obviously people are going to have to live somewhere
while you’re rebuilding. It is akin to a natural disaster. So what he’s very
generously -- very generously has offered is the ability of the United States to
go in and help with debris removal, help with munitions removal, help with
reconstruction, the rebuilding of homes and businesses and things of things of
this nature, so that then people can move back in. But in the meantime, they’ll
have to live somewhere.
Now the details of that, if it was accepted, would have to be worked out among
multiple partner nations. It’s a unique offer, one that -- no other country in
the world has stepped up and made an offer. But I think it’s one people need to
think about seriously. It was not meant as a hostile move. It was meant as, I
think, a very generous move, the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the
rebuilding of a place, many parts of which right now, even if people moved back,
they would have nowhere to live safely because there are still unexploded
munitions and debris and rubble.
PRESIDENT ARÉVALO: [Via interpreter] About
your question, first and foremost, how does it work? In the case of the
foreigners, citizens of foreign nationalities that may come to Guatemala in the
framework of these flights, they do it in -- as part of their continued
repatriation. So the way that this repatriation will be pursued, how the United
States is going to cooperate with the Government of Guatemala, our topic is that
we are going to be discussing in a bilateral working group that we have agreed
today on establishing. There has been no discussion around convicted criminals
in the framework of those talks.
MODERATOR: [Via interpreter] We thank the
high authorities for the information that they had provided at the National
Palace of Culture and the Courtyard for Peace. We now bid farewell to the
President of Guatemala and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And
with this, this press conference comes to an end.
Thank you very much, friends
from the media, both domestic and international.
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