Ecuador, which was posed to lose trade breaks with the U.S. after it offered a temporary travel document to fugitive Edward Snowden, has hired Van Scoyoc Assocs. to patch things up in D.C.
The South American nation has agreed to pay VSA $300K a-month through the end of the year under a contract that went into effect July 9.
The agreement calls for VSA to research and analyze issues regarding bi-lateral dialog, foreign affairs, trade, economic development, migration and security/defense.
The pact says VSA will provide the Washington Embassy counsel on where Ecuador has a "direct interest or need for advocacy and consulting assistance."
At first, Ecuador’s president Rafael Correa said he was "not a least bit concerned" about losing trade breaks under the Andean Trade Promotion & Drug Eradication Act” that support 320K jobs in his nation.
That remark triggered a promise from New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, to kill Ecuador’s trade deal that expires the end of the month.
Ecuador has since had second thoughts about its "stand tall" strategy.
Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua say they will accept Snowden, the former Booz Allen Hamilton infrastructure specialist who remains holed up in Moscow's airport.
Meanwhile, Andy Levine’s Development Counsellors International shop in New York has a pre-Snowden pact with Ecuador's Ministry of Tourism.
It began Jan. 2 and earned DCI $98,205 in fees through March.
Edelman is providing communications support to Panama’s Ministry of Commerce and Industries under an agreement capped at $97,100 per month.
Ballard Partners has recruited State Department veteran Matt Bryza as a senior policy advisor.
Teneo has extended its contract with the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation for an additional four months to July 31, adding another $1.8M in fees to the New York firm’s coffers.
The Syrian Kurdish militia recruits Jim Dornan Strategies to press Congress for continued support in their battle against ISIS and Syrian president Bashar Assad.
The Government of Hungary has hired Strategic Improvisation Inc. to generate positive media coverage and combat negative press coverage of the Central European country. (6 reader comments)
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