Paraguayan President Santiago Pena met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on Thursday at the start of a three-day visit, The Rio Times reports.
According to the Treasury's readout, the two discussed the countries' growing economic partnership and investment, and Bessent welcomed Paraguay's commitment to secure and resilient supply chains for critical minerals. Pena said American companies were showing increasing interest in investing in Paraguay's technology, logistics, manufacturing, trade and mining sectors.
Neither the Treasury account nor Pena's own post mentioned sanctions. The US Treasury designated former president Horacio Cartes and then vice-president Hugo Velazquez in 2023, and only Cartes has since been removed from the list.
Pena, who returns to Asuncion on Friday, was also invited to give the keynote at an Inter-American Dialogue gala at the Organization of American States, and has announced a meeting with CIA director John Ratcliffe.
Source: The Rio Times
