Buenos Aires, Feb 8, -  Ecuador's Defense minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa made working visits this week to Uruguay and Argentina, where she favored the strengthening of relations in the area of defense.

In Buenos Aires, Espinosa was welcomed by her Argentinean counterpart Agustin Rossi. The two officials stressed the growing bilateral cooperation in the sector. On the occasion Espinosa launched the Magazine Homeland, a Political Analysis of Defense, which is a project of the Ecuadorian Defense Ministry based on an Andean and Latin American approach, with its emphasis in South America.

During the presentation, Espinosa alerted on the need to reinforce integration mechanisms in the region an on the dangers pending on the area. She also rejected the global espionage carried out by the United States, which does not only targets political spheres but also economic development projects in the countries of the region, she noted.

Our region counts on huge resources, it is not only hydrocarbons, but also minerals that are crucial to develop future technologies together with large reserves of water, said the official who added that the superpowers are all bent on such resources.

She stressed, we must find ways to protect ourselves from global espionage and use the mechanisms we have been creating to guarantee safe communication among us and it is essential to find agreement on this vital issue.