Paraguay’s President Pedro Alliana said he spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio about strengthening ties between the two countries. (Foto: Instagram)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Paraguay’s new president, Pedro Alliana, on Sunday, Nov. 8, to discuss relations between the two countries following the impeachment of former President Santiago Peña. Peña was impeached amid a financial scandal involving Banco Ueno and is being held in preventive detention while Paraguayan authorities investigate him.
Alliana said on X that he and Rubio discussed the countries’ “excellent relations” and reaffirmed their commitment to work together on security, technology, trade, investment and development. He also thanked Rubio for inviting him to a future meeting and for seeking to strengthen the strategic partnership between Paraguay and the United States. Alliana’s post was dated Nov. 9.
Peña had been aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump. During Peña’s government, Paraguay joined the U.S.-led “Shield of the Americas” alliance, allowed U.S. military activities on Paraguayan soil and reached an agreement for the United States to use energy from the Itaipu hydroelectric plant for artificial intelligence projects with a Paraguayan company.
Alliana, who served as Peña’s vice president before taking over the presidency, belongs to the same party as his predecessor, the Colorado Party. He has also shown alignment with Trump’s conservative policies in Latin America.
Peña was impeached on Friday, Nov. 6, over his connection to Banco Ueno, which collapsed after a financial scandal, leaving thousands of Paraguayans unable to access money they had deposited. Peña was a shareholder in the bank’s controlling group until 2025 and appointed a former Ueno executive to lead Paraguay’s Central Bank. He is in preventive detention and is under investigation by Paraguayan authorities.
