Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos said Thursday he has called former U.S. President George W. Bush to thank him for his support of the free trade agreement (FTA) that was approved by U.S. Congress on Wednesday.
“I talked to former President George W. Bush and thanked him in the name of all Colombians for what he did to make the FTA become reality,” Santos said on his Twitter.
The former U.S. President signed the trade treaty in 2006, after which it initially was held off by a Democratic majority in both the House of Representatives and Senate. After the election of Barack Obama as President, the trade deal was held by the White House until Colombia vowed to improve labor rights.
After Washington and Bogota signed an agreement to improve labor conditions and fight impunity in labor rights activists’ murder cases, the FTA was sent to Congress and approved by both houses within nine days.