Cooperation in the fight against corruption and organized crime was high on the agenda of President Donald Trump's meeting Friday with President Mario Abdo Benítez of Paraguay.
“We are doing a lot of work with Paraguay on terrorism, drugs, trade. A lot of different things,” Trump said while he hosted Abdo inside the Oval Office. Abdo replied in English that his visit to the White House was a “great honor” for his country and also for Latin America.
Earlier this week, the FBI and Justice Department created a team to work on the issue with authorities from Paraguay. The two also are expected to discuss trade and the situation in Venezuela, where the U.S. has backed an opposition to oust authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.
The Trump administration counts Abdo among his allies in the region. In August, it complimented Paraguay for designating Hizballah, al-Qa’ida, ISIS, and Hamas as terrorist organizations.
Abdo’s father served as private secretary over 25 years for military strongman Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled Paraguay with an iron fist from 1954 to 1989. Abdo got a degree in marketing in the United States.