Bolivia signs $20m deal with US to fight drug trafficking, foreign ministry says
Key takeaways
- The foreign ministry said that under the agreement, the US would provide up to $20m (£15m) to train and equip Bolivian forces as part of a joint fight against drug smuggling.
- Under a new centrist president, Rodrigo Paz, Bolivia has joined the Shield of the Americas, the US-led security initiative in the Western Hemisphere.
- AFP news agency said that the US embassy had confirmed that the "United States will work closely with the Bolivian government to provide training, equipment, and other forms of support".
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Vanessa Buschschlüter Latin America online editor Cancillería Bolivia US charge d'affaires Debra Hevia and Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo in a picture from Bolivia's foreign ministry Bolivia says it has signed a new co-operation deal with the US to combat drug trafficking.
The foreign ministry said that under the agreement, the US would provide up to $20m (£15m) to train and equip Bolivian forces as part of a joint fight against drug smuggling.
The deal is the latest sign of thawing relations between the nations - 18 years after then-President Evo Morales expelled the US Drug Enforcement Administration from the South American country, which is the world's third-largest producer of coca, the raw material used to make cocaine.