From his perch as chairman of the U.S. Senate Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, on Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., met with Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández to discuss relations between the two nations
Hernández and Rubio touched on a number of issues including the drug trade and the continued crisis in Venezuela.
After the meeting, Rubio noted that he met with Hernández during a visit to Honduras back in June. He called for continued ties between the two nations.
“After President Hernández welcomed me to Honduras last year, it was my honor to host him in Washington today,” said Rubio. “The United States and Honduras must continue working together through the Alliance for Prosperity, which helps combat the corruption and drug trafficking that threaten democracies and stability throughout Central America, especially in the Northern Triangle.
“Honduras is a vital partner for the U.S. in Central America and hosts members of all branches of the U.S. military,” Rubio continued. “I stressed to the president and his government how imperative it is for Honduras to follow the conditions established in U.S. law for our continued support for Alliance for Prosperity’s funding. I also made clear the importance to the United States in seeing the rights of all Hondurans respected, and that Honduras continue to make progress on instituting the rule of law and holding accountable those responsible for human rights abuses. I strongly suggested President Hernández offer more support to the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) in order to combat malfeasance and strengthen the trust the Honduran people have in their democratic system.”
Turning to the continued economic and humanitarian problems in Venezuela, Rubio said he and Hernández talked about how the Organization of American States (OAS) can help solve the problems caused by the Maduro regime.
“President Hernández and I also discussed the situation in Venezuela, which keeps deteriorating politically, economically and from a humanitarian standpoint,” Rubio added. “I encouraged him to stand for the restoration of democratic principles throughout the Western Hemisphere and stand with the Venezuelan people as the Organization of American States looks to invoke the democratic charter against the Maduro regime in the near future.”
