The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, Rubén Ramírez, stated this Monday (23) that the military agreement signed between his country and the USA last December does not generate “any type of tension” with Brazil, its neighbor and largest trading partner in Latin America.
“We have broad collaboration and bilateral cooperation with Brazil. The agreement with the US does not harm the relationship with Brazil in any way, nor does the Sofa Agreement generate any type of tension with Brazil,” said Ramírez during a press conference at the presidential residence.
Without giving further details, the Paraguayan minister reported that he discussed the matter with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, and that all aspects of the agreement “were clarified to everyone”.
The Status of Forces Agreement (Sofa) regulates the presence of American military personnel in Paraguay. Right-wing President Santiago Peña argues that signing the partnership aims to make his country safer in the face of “major threats”.
The conservative president explained that Paraguay has the “advantage” of bordering Brazil, an important country in the region, but which is also home to large criminal groups such as Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV).
On a regional level, the US has also signed a Sofa agreement with Ecuador in 2023, as well as with around fifty other nations around the world, Paraguay’s Foreign Minister stated weeks ago.
