Guatemala City, January 17 (EFE). – The Guatemalan government said Monday that it will promote its “interests” in the United States through a “pressure” service contract, backed by cooperation from Taiwan. “Service contracts for pressure are very effective in strengthening states and many are employing them,” the government of Guatemalan President Alejandro Giamatti said in a press release. The contract was agreed by Giammattei’s management with Ballard Partners “with the aim of promoting Guatemala’s interests in the United States”, particularly “in matters of strategic communications, attracting economic investment, and tourism”. Giamatti’s government has also confirmed that it intends to “improve the country’s position with regard to the production of products” of small traders, based on the press release issued on Monday evening. Guatemala also “thanked” Taiwan for “the support that will allow us to strengthen the country’s position in the United States,” without providing further information on cooperation for the implementation of the lobby. Relations between the United States and Guatemala soured last September, when Washington punished the Guatemalan attorney general, Consuelo Porras, accusing it of obstruction of justice in high-impact cases. On Sunday, the United States once again ruled against the government of Guatemala, accusing it of “weakening” the country’s judicial system and trying to “obstruct investigations into corruption” after the prosecution’s request to lift the immunity of Judge Erika Ivan, issued by the Public Prosecution Office. Evan is a high-impact case judge and has been widely honored abroad for her performance. Likewise, US President Joe Biden did not invite Giamatti or the leaders of Honduras and El Salvador to a virtual summit on democracy he hosted in December. Last week, US Vice President Kamala Harris called Giamatti and asked him to ensure “corrupt actors are held accountable, stressing that corruption undermines public trust and undermines the ability to govern effectively and responsibly,” according to the White House. Harris is appointed by Biden to solve the migration crisis in the region, where every year more than 500,000 Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans attempt to migrate irregularly to the United States in search of better living conditions, away from poverty in Central America. According to US officials, one way to stop immigration is to promote justice and eliminate corruption in the region. Taiwan has been recognized as a legitimate government by 14 countries, including several Latin American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay. EFE jcm / ga