Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos spoke out Thursday in support of the people of Libya, following the death of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi after months of intense fighting in the country.
Santos expressed his hope that Libya will be able to return to the rule of democracy and achieve freedom for its citizens.
“With the death of Gaddafi we hope that the country will be able to return to normality, that finally democracy and freedom will be able to prevail, that the Libyans will be able to own their own future, own the situation in their country, and prosper in peace,” said Santos Thursday in a press release.
Santos emphasized Colombia’s role in recognizing the de-facto government of Libya, the National Transitional Council, during the 2011 Libyan civil war.
“Colombia was perhaps the first country in Latin America to recognize the National Transitional Council. We recognized it in that moment because we have always been on the side of the defenders of freedom, of democracy. This is also why we voted for the United Nations Security Council resolutions against Gaddafi,” said the president.