Dionisio Gutiérrez met with Colombian president Iván Duque in Guatemala

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Mar 11, 2020, 16:05 ET

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala, March 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On January 14th, Dionisio Gutiérrez, president of Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo, met with Colombian president Iván Duque, during his official visit to Guatemala for the inauguration of the new government.

During the meeting, they discussed relevant matters for the Latin American region, such as the fight against drug trafficking, the increasing social conflict, illegal migration and how coordinated actions by Central American countries could help solve the region's problems.

Dionisio Gutiérrez spoke about the infiltration of drug trafficking into politics: "Nowadays, large segments of the population perceive politics as a dirty and mediocre activity; and that it is not a place for honest and capable citizens (...) one of the most damaging issues for politics in Latin America is drug trafficking."

President Iván Duque agreed and assured that "drug trafficking is an issue of state policy that has to go beyond a four-year government. It is important to advance in the eradication of illicit crops, the pursuit of criminal organizations and to put an end to money laundering structures. This is why we have decided to support the Guatemalan government in its frontal fight against drug trafficking, firearms trafficking and human trafficking."

Subsequently, Dionisio Gutiérrez explained the proposal that Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo has for the Central American region: "In the month of March, the Fifth Citizen Convention will take place, and we will discuss the state of Central America. Our objective is to place, once again within the international public debate, the need for Central America to find the solution for its problems through the construction of a 'Central American Economic Community'; free and borderless, with strong democratic institutions and greater support from the international community."

Iván Duque celebrated Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo's initiative and urged all other Central American countries to resume and commit to a common agenda; and to open a dialogue that is so important for the development of their nations.

This was part of a series of meetings that Dionisio Gutiérrez held prior the Fifth Citizen Convention, with iberoamerican presidents and former presidents and high-ranking officials of the United States government to find consensus and solutions to Central America's security and development problems.

SOURCE Fundación Libertad y Desarrollo