Statement on multinational maritime security meeting in Miami:
Within the framework of the agreements on international cooperation and support to friendly nations, the second multinational meeting was held in Miami to boost the efforts of Colombia, Mexico and the United States aimed at strengthening international relations and maritime security in the region.
We should underscore that the first meeting on maritime security took place in Cartagena, Colombia Dec. 11, 2017, where a working path on Inter-American maritime security was established and a letter of intent between the countries was signed aimed at protecting the sovereignty of the territorial waters and economic exclusive zones of each nation. The United States will cover international waters. This important letter of intent makes countering transnational organized crime possible by establishing strategies to achieve coincident and synchronized missions between the various naval authorities from each country.
During the meeting, the Mexican Secretary of the Navy, Commander of the Colombian Navy, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, and Commander of U.S. Northern Command, defined lines of effort to boost maritime interdiction procedures, sustainment of information-sharing channels, and the readiness of personnel and units available for immediate response.
U.S., Mexican, and Colombian naval forces actively participate in international engagements, strengthening friendly ties aimed at bolstering the region’s maritime security and efforts to counter transnational crime.