MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Friday, May 29th 2026 - 06:42 UTC
“This is not just a political gesture, it is not a diplomatic milestone,” Kast said at the opening, arguing that “there can be a before and an after here”
The governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru on Thursday signed in Santiago a joint cooperation agreement against transnational organized crime, in a meeting convened by the Chilean government of President José Antonio Kast and attended by five foreign ministers, four security ministers, and one interior minister. The so-called Santiago Regional Compact articulates five areas of cooperation and will be presented before the 56th General Assembly of the Organization of American States to extend the initiative to the rest of the continent.
“This is not just a political gesture, it is not a diplomatic milestone,” Kast said at the opening, arguing that “there can be a before and an after here.” The Chilean leader, from the conservative far right, said that “these five countries have grown tired of watching how organized crime is killing our young people, taking over our neighborhoods, and buying loyalties.” For his part, Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Pérez said that “in the face of a threat that does not recognize borders, the response also cannot remain within national borders.” Argentina under President Javier Milei was represented by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva. Bolivia was represented by Foreign Minister Fernando Aramayo, amid the grave political and blockade crisis facing his country. Ecuador sent Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld and Vice Minister of Public Security Jorge Rivadeneira, and Peru sent Foreign Minister Carlos Pareja and Interior Minister José Zapata.
