The Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment of the United States, Jose Fernandezmeets this Monday with the elected president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, in the Central American country.
José Fernández arrived in Guatemala last Sunday for a two-day visit that, according to a statement from the State Department, is a sample of “unconditional support” to the democracy of Guatemala and to Arévalo de León, who must assume the presidency for the period 2024-2028 on January 14.
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Today in 🇬🇹 Guatemala City, I met with @MinexGt @MarioBucaroGT and discussed our crucial cooperation supporting the democratic transition to President-elect Arevalo as well as economic growth and investment in Guatemala. pic.twitter.com/k8VnczvIho
— Under Secretary Jose W. Fernandez (@State_E) December 5, 2023
Fernández is the third high-level United States official to visit Guatemala in a month, since in November the Undersecretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, and later, Philip Gordon, advisor to Vice President Kamala, were in that country. Harris.
The visits by US officials take place in the midst of a political crisis in Guatemala, as the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) has tried repeatedly, since July 12, to reverse the results of the elections held this year.
Furthermore, Fernández’s objective in Guatemala is to “foster economic cooperation and strengthen strategic alliances” between both countries.
The visit of the undersecretary comes three days after the Treasury Department sanctioned Miguel Martínez, a former official of the Government of Guatemala, known for his closeness to the president, Alejandro Giammattei, with the Magnitsky Act on Human Rights Responsibility, and accused of participating in various acts of corruption.
The United States and the Organization of American States (OAS) have constantly spoken out against intervention in the elections in the Central American country.
