Th US State Department said it will ask Congress for $1 billion for “deepening our shared and economic partnership” with the government of Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella.
The funding boost, which resembles that of the first year of Plan Colombia in 2000, seeks to “support the De la Espriella Administration’s efforts to defeat the vicious narcoterrorist and criminal organizations that threaten US, Colombian, and hemispheric security and economic prosperity.”
In preliminary talks, De la Espriella had already agreed to join the “Shield of the Americas,” a regional initiative of far-right governments to jointly fight crime.
According to a fact sheet, the funds that would require congressional approval would be used to:
- Strengthen Colombia’s security forces
- Disrupt illegal armed groups and organized crime’s ability to launder money
- Significantly expand coca eradication and cocaine interdiction operations
- Halt migration
- Increase State presence in conflict regions
- Combat child recruitment and exploitation by illegal armed groups
The administration of President Donald Trump also seeks to “increase trade and deepen economic ties between our countries.”
In order to do this, nominated US ambassador Nate Morris told the Senate that De la Espriella would withdraw from a memorandum of understanding with the government of China that sought to improve ties with the Asian giant.
Trump’s aid package would help Colombian communities “recover from potential El Niño-related flooding, drought,” which is expected to cause emergencies between December and March.
The US would also support a Bilateral Prosperity Dialogue to “stabilize” Colombia’s economy, “strengthening its energy generation and distribution sectors, exploring critical mineral investments, and creating new opportunities for US investors.”
The aid package would additionally “strengthen Colombian small and medium enterprises in agribusiness, manufacturing, and tech services by connecting them to US buyers and linking them to U.S.-aligned supply chains.”
The two governments would additionally seek to modernize Colombia’s digital, port and energy infrastructure while “positioning Colombia as a trusted nearshoring partner for supply chain diversification.”
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