As world leaders flock to New York for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, local media reported Monday that President Juan Manuel Santos is scheduled to meet Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to discuss ongoing peace talks and the fight against drugs.
According the Maria Emma Mejia, Colombia’s Ambassador to the UN, the meeting between Santos and Ban Ki-moon is to be more than a formality, consisting of concrete themes surrounding the peace talks with the FARC and preparations for a possible post-conflict Colombia, Blu Radio reported Monday.
Almost two years into the historic peace talks with Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, Mejia said that it was time to discuss the country’s wants and needs, “what the UN can offer and where it can play a role.”
Santos’ agenda also includes plans to meet with the presidents of Venezuela, Uruguay and Paraguay, as well as the editorial boards of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Aside from President Santos’ meetings, the Foreign Ministers of Colombia and Venezuela are set to meet to discuss border issues.
MORE: Colombia and Venezuela set to discuss border closure
Last month the Venezuelan government launched night closures of the border to counter the smuggling of Venezuelan products to Colombia. On September 11 President Nicolas Maduro decided to extend it for three months.
According to the government of Juan Manuel Santos, closing the border at night does not solve the problem of illegal trade in goods or contribute to bilateral integration.