81% of Colombian support the foreign policy of the administration of Juan Manuel Santos, a study released on Saturday shows.
According to the same study, conducted by Colombian scholars for a Mexican study group, 51% think the country plays an important role on the world stage.
The figures are taken from a “Colombia and the World 2010: Public Opinion and International Politics,” a study of Colombians’ opinions about the world and their country’s role in it.
According to the survey, 80% believes that the country’s international role is more important than 10 years ago. Colombia’s Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin, who presented the study in Bogota, said “for years we have dedicated ourselves to talking about drugs, kidnapping and conflict … This has prevented us from seeing ourselves as a country with strength.”
In regards to which nations Colombians believe should be top priority for the country’s foreign policy, 45% said Latin American countries with only 25% saying the U.S.
When asked what kind of relationship Colombia should develop in the region, 40% said a leadership role. Among Colombians surveyed, 70% support Plan Colombia. Although 63% would like Plan Colombia resources to be supervised by the U.S., 44% are against the possibility of U.S. agents in Colombian territory.