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US President Donald Trump has urged countries taking part in the Shield of the Americas initiative to formally classify narco-terrorists as a common threat to regional stability and impose sanctions on US-designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Speaking at a Shield of the Americas event held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Trump described the initiative as a major economic and national security alliance in the Western Hemisphere, according to the event’s remarks.
“I’m thrilled to be here at the second meeting of the Shield of the Americas. The Shield of the Americas is a big deal,” Trump said.
Trump calls for coordinated sanctions
The US president called the grouping “the largest and most powerful alliance for economic and national security ever to convene in the Western Hemisphere.”
“For years, cartels have waged war on the people of this hemisphere. Now we’re waging war on them,” he said.
Trump urged all countries participating in the initiative to designate narco-terrorists as a shared threat to stability and apply sanctions against all 24 foreign terrorist organizations designated by the United States.
Regional effort against drug trafficking
The Shield of the Americas, also known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, was launched by the Trump administration as a regional security initiative focused on combating transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the emergence of regional leaders committed to fighting transnational criminal organizations was among the notable developments in the Western Hemisphere.
“One of the most exciting developments in our region over the last couple of years has been the emergence of strong leaders who are committed to the challenge of taking on transnational terrorism, which is an enormous threat to all of us,” Rubio said.
