The United States’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Colombian counterpart on Monday, Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva, to kick off high-level talks on bilateral issues.
The two-day negotiations include historically important issues like drug trafficking and trade, as well as international issues like migration and climate change.
In a speech, Blinken said the US Government will “continue working to help Colombia reach its ambitious climate goals, from providing ongoing technical assistance on wind and solar projects to strengthening protection of the Amazon.”
The US’ top foreign policy official confirmed talks about “unprecedented migration across our hemisphere.”
Colombia is showing the way that migration, when it’s managed safely, humanely and as a region, can actually increase stability and can be an opportunity, not a burden, for communities.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
In regards to drug trafficking, Blinken said that American negotiators were “bringing a holistic approach” to the table in response to growing pushback to the historically repressive approach to drugs.
That means looking at ways to further reduce demand by investing in substance abuse prevention, treatment, and recovery for those who are struggling with addiction in our countries — because this is fundamentally a public health problem — and it means discussing ways to reduce supply, from strengthening interdiction by land and sea, to providing vulnerable communities with alternative ways to earn a living.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
The negotiators will additionally look into the controversial “free trade” agreement between the two countries in order to secure that Colombian “farmers, for textile producers, and other small- and medium-sized businesses in rural areas to get their products to global markets,” said Blinken.
US agrees to revise “free trade” treaty with Colombia: officials
Last but not least, the secretary of state reiterated his government’s commitment to a 2016 peace deal between the Colombian government and the now-defunct guerrilla group FARC, and “bolstering the rule of law and expanding access to justice” in the South American country.
We recognize that to sustainably reduce violence, we have to tackle the root causes of insecurity – like corruption, like impunity – impunity for crimes – human rights abuses, and the lack of economic opportunity.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Colombia’s prosecution all but collapsed, statistics suggest
The so-called “High-Level Dialogue” is arguably one of the most important platforms for both governments to revise their bilateral policies.
