U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday praised the recently inaugurated administration of conservative President Abelardo de la Espriella for its fight against organized criminal gangs.
Rubio stressed that the United States has seen more progress in Colombia’s fight against gangs during the first month of de la Espriella’s government than in the past four years, when Colombia was under the government of Marxist former President Gustavo Petro.
Rubio visited Colombia on Tuesday as part of a broader tour across Latin America that includes visits to Peru and Ecuador. During his stay in Colombia, Rubio met with President de la Espriella and Foreign Minster Omar Bula in the city of Barranquilla. Rubio and de la Espriella also signed two memorandums of understanding on strategic civil nuclear cooperation and critical minerals framework.
President de la Espriella emphasized that the encounter ratifies that the strategic alliance between Colombia and the United States is “firmer than ever,” with both sides discussing security, the fight against narco-terrorism, and joint areas of cooperation.
After his meeting with de la Espriella, Rubio held a Spanish-language interview with Colombia’s NTN24 and Noticias RCN. During the interview, Rubio said the most important responsibility that governments can have is the security of its country and its people — a thought that, he believes was “abandoned” by the preceding Colombian government in recent years.
“They have a president who was elected by a clear margin, and he has made it very clear, both during his campaign and now as president, that his number one priority is to restore stability and security for the Colombian people, and we are going to help in any way we can,” Rubio said.
Asked about the United States’ decertification of Colombia in the fight against drug trafficking and when would Colombia regain a certification from America, Rubio explained that those are based on the actions that took place over the past year but noted that the United States has a “completely different perspective when it comes to the new president and the new administration.”
“Over the past month, we’ve seen more concrete action against these criminal gangs than we’ve likely seen in four years, so I believe that if they continue on this path, there’s no doubt that certification status will change,” Rubio said, and added that although new certifications are done on an annual basis, he will do everything possible to help Colombia regain the certification at an earlier time.
President de la Espriella took office on August 7 for a four-year term that will run through 2030. Throughout his presidential campaign, the conservative president vowed to enact a hardline stance against organized crime and narco-terrorist organizations operating in Colombia.
Within the first hours of his administration, Colombian military forces carried out a series of operations that resulted in the deaths and arrest of several members of the Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist group. Subsequent operations in the following weeks resulted in the deaths of additional FARC members.
Last month, Colombia formally joined the United States-led Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C) and signed an agreement allowing the possibility for joint Colombia-U.S. strikes against narco-terrorist groups operating in Colombian territory.
Asked by RCN and NTN24 on the possibility of establishing U.S. Military bases in Colombia, Rubio said that “everything is possible,” but pointed out that Colombia would first have to invite the United States, as it is a sovereign country and the decision must be done by Colombians through their elected leaders.
“Ultimately, that decision rests with the president through the U.S. Department of War, but what I can tell you without a doubt is that the security relationship between the United States and Colombia will not be the same as before, it will be better,” Rubio stressed.