WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statements following the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of their bipartisan resolution reaffirming the partnership between the United States and the Republic of Ecuador. The resolution recognizes the restoration and advancement of economic relations, security, and development opportunities in both nations.
“The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is speaking with one voice about the importance of the partnership between the United States and Ecuador,” Senator Menendez said. “With this resolution’s approval, we reaffirm our commitment to continue fostering shared economic, security, and development opportunities. With the help of New Jersey’s flourishing Ecuadorian-American community, I look forward to sustained cooperation and continuing to work with Ecuador to address our shared challenges.”
“As Ecuador continues its efforts to restore democratic spaces, promote free-market policies, and strengthen bilateral cooperation with the United States, I am proud that our resolution reaffirming support for the U.S.-Ecuador relationship passed out of committee today,” said Risch. “By strengthening this partnership, both nations will be able to further advance shared economic, security, and development opportunities. I look forward to its swift passage by the full Senate.”
New Jersey is home to more than 130,000 Ecuadorians living across the state, many of whom reside in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. Earlier this year, Chairman Menendez welcomed Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno to the U.S. Capitol. The visit marked President Moreno’s second meeting with members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to discuss his administration’s mending of bilateral relations, including economic and security cooperation, after decades of tensions.
Find a copy of the resolution HERE.
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