Colombia’s foreign minister has denied criticism of over-spending and a lack of concrete results at the recent Summit of the Americas in Cartagena.
Maria Angela Holguin rejected former president Alvaro Uribe’s tweeted accusation that the government spent $97 million on the event, saying the real figure was $25 million, according to newspaper El Heraldo.
She asked Colombians to view at the summit not as an “expenditure”, but as an “investment” with long-term benefits.
In a press conference with Colombian media, Holguin also rejected criticism that a failure to produce concrete agreements on the most controversial issues tainted the summit. The countries did not reach consensus on Cuba’s involvement in future meetings or Argentina’s dispute with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands (Malvines).
She praised the summit’s statement on drug trafficking, which called for shared responsibility for the causes and solutions to organized crime.
The summit showed Colombia’s strength, she asserted.
“Hosting an event that included not only the social aspect but also 500 leading entrepreneurs from across Latin America and 31 presidents of the hemisphere shows that we are a country that can take on many things,” said the minister.