San Salvador, El Salvador
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele refused to meet with the United States Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle, Ricardo Zúñiga, According to statements by an official of the embassy of this country to a local Salvadoran media.
The internet site elsalvador.com, belonging to Today’s Diary, He noted in a post that the head of public affairs at the US embassy, Matt BolandHe told the media that “Special Envoy Zúñiga was hoping to meet with President Bukele during his visit to El Salvador and a meeting was requested.”
However, according to this medium, “Boland added that they hope a new opportunity presents itself in the future.”
Several hours earlier at a press conference in Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to clarify whether Zúñiga would meet with Bukele during his two-day visit.
“We have no party to report to, but if that changes we will be happy to do so,” Price simply said.
The only senior official of the Government of Bukele who met with Zúñiga was the Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Hill, As announced on Twitter by US country manager Brendan O’Brien.
“We all agreed on the need to improve the economic and security situation so that Salvadorans do not feel compelled to undertake #UnViajeEnVano in search of opportunities,” the diplomat noted.
We also “discuss how to further strengthen our excellent bilateral cooperation,” he added.
Neither President Bukele nor Chancellor Hill have referred to Zúñiga’s visit to her social media.
On Tuesday, Zúñiga told Guatemala that the United States seeks to create “enabling conditions” for its citizens, such as the rule of law, employment, health and education, to undermine irregular migration.
Before leaving for Salvadoran territory, where he will continue and culminate his visit to the region without reaching Honduras, Zúñiga stressed that these new conditions seeking the two states are necessary “so that Guatemalans and other people in Central America and Mexico have nothing to do with their futures in the United States.”
The North Triangle of Central America, Composed of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, is one of the poorest and most violent regions on the planet, according to several studies by international organizations.
Each year, more than 500,000 people from these three countries attempt to illegally emigrate to the United States in search of better living conditions, including thousands of minors.