Peru takes steps to partner with US-led initiative targeting cartel activity launched by Trump

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Peru is taking steps to join US President Donald Trump’s Shield of the Americas initiative, its foreign minister said Friday, just days after conservative President Keiko Fujimori took office.

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Trump’s anti-cartel alliance is made up of pro-US administrations across Latin America including the governments of Argentina, Ecuador and El Salvador.

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Member states exchange information and coordinate judicial and security forces to address transnational criminal activity.

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Fujimori won Peru’s election on a promise to address soaring security concerns, and had already signalled a desire to join the alliance before taking office on Tuesday.

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“We will continue the progress achieved with… our incorporation into the Shield of the Americas,” Foreign Minister Carlos Espa said Friday at an event in Lima.

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“We will deepen our excellent relations with the United States, a strategic partner, ally and friend,” he added.

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Espa, who formerly worked in the US embassy in Peru, also outlined plans to “strengthen cooperation with neighboring countries” to combat crime.

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International drug trafficking gangs are active in Peru, which is one of the world’s leading cocaine producers.

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Neighboring Colombia — the world’s top cocaine producer — will also join Trump’s initiative once hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella takes office in August, he said earlier this month.

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