ASUNCIÓN — U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Paraguay’s foreign minister signed two security agreements on Monday. One covers air interception and the other border screening. Landau arrived with a delegation of U.S. business executives and investors, and the visit also covers trade and investment.

Landau and Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano signed two documents at the Foreign Ministry in Asunción after Landau met President Santiago Peña at the Palacio de López.

  • Air interception cooperation: An exchange of notes, which the U.S. Embassy calls the “Air Interception Assistance Agreement.” It sets a framework for intercepting suspect civilian aircraft under each country’s laws and international law.
    It would strengthen airspace surveillance through information exchange, radar data, intelligence and technical assistance, aimed at drug trafficking and other illicit activity.
    The US Embassy said it “will strengthen Paraguay’s capacity to monitor and protect its sovereignty against suspicious flights.”
    No published description mentions shooting down aircraft, and Paraguay’s 2022 airspace law bars destroying a civilian aircraft in service except in self-defense.
  • Border security: A memorandum of intent under which the U.S. would provide PISCES, the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System, with training for Paraguayan staff.
    EFE says the system matches fingerprints and facial recognition against biographical data in real time, and the Foreign Ministry says it is meant to tighten migration checks and track passenger movements.

The full texts haven’t been published. Their terms, funding, duration, data-access limits and installation timing are unknown.

Trade & Investment

Undersecretary Landau also lead a trade delegation of U.S. companies to explore investments in Paraguay, according to the State Department. No companies have been named and no investment figure has been announced, and no trade agreement was reported.

Both sides discussed ways to attract foreign capital and create jobs. “I think there are lots of win-win situations, given Paraguay’s great potential,” Landau said, according to ABC Color.

U.S. goods exports to Paraguay were $4.4 billion in 2025, up 39.9%, against $558.8 million in imports, according to USTR figures. Two-way trade in goods and services was an estimated $5.7 billion, under a framework agreement in effect since 2021.

A Closer Alliance

Landau said Washington has “never seen these levels of cooperation that benefit both countries.” He added that “the governments are aligned” and that the two peoples share mutual values that enhance the interests of the region.

Landau acknowledged Paraguay occupies a “very key role” in the Trump administration’s renewed attention to the Western Hemisphere, citing its strategic location in South America.

Paraguayan Foreign Affairs Minister Rubén Ramirez L (left) & U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Monday, October 19, 2026. Credit: Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores

The signings add to deals reported earlier in the year. These include a Status of Forces Agreement and a Safe Third Country Agreement signed in August 2025.

A civil nuclear memorandum was signed in August 2026.

Landau is traveling with Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Pablo Segura. The U.S. Embassy listed the trip at October 19-26, with Paraguay first and then Argentina, where the agenda includes economic growth, U.S. investment opportunities and security cooperation. I

In Buenos Aires he will build on the U.S.-Argentina Andes-Atlantic Corridor announced at the U.N. General Assembly.