The president of United States, Joe Bidenannounced Thursday that it will designate Colombia as a non-NATO member strategic ally, granting strategic status to a key ally in a turbulent region in which Washington seeks to isolate Russia.
The US president made the announcement during a meeting at the White House with his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duke.
Non-NATO Major Ally Status is a designation granted by the United States to close allies that have strategic working relationships with Washington but are not NATO members. NATO. Argentina obtained this status in 1998 and Brazil in 2019.
During the meeting, the presidents assured that they would work to sign a regional agreement on migration at the Summit of the Americas in June in Los Angeles. Colombia currently hosts 1.9 million migrants from neighboring Venezuela.
Biden thanked Duque for condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on behalf of Colombia and reiterated that it is a threat to world peace.
“I am proud to announce that we are going to declare Colombia as one of the main non-NATO allies, this is the recognition of the close relationship that exists between our countries,” Biden said.
“Colombia is our ally. Colombia is a cornerstone for our efforts to create a prosperous, secure and democratic hemisphere,” Biden declared, highlighting Duque’s leadership in confronting the Covid-19 pandemiccounteract the impact of climate change and address Venezuelan migration.
The two leaders did not reveal details of the long-awaited agreement on migration. The United States has struggled to deal with thousands of migrants seeking asylum at its southern border with Mexico.
President Biden also announced an additional donation to Colombia of two million COVID-19 vaccines to help immunize Venezuelan migrants. The United States delivered more than five million vaccines to Bogotá in recent months.
“This has been a very horrible moment for the world,” Duque said of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Nothing justifies the bloodbath.”
Maduro is a “dictator”, says Duque
The meeting came days after secret negotiations between top US officials and representatives of the Venezuelan president, Nicholas Maduroachieved the release of two American detainees.
The move drew attention in Colombia, which has strained relations with Venezuela. There were no signs of tension in the leaders’ public comments.
A weekend visit by a US delegation to Venezuela and talks with Maduro focused on the fate of the detained Americans.
The meeting also discussed the possibility of easing the US oil sanctions against Venezuela, a member of the OPECto fill a supply gap if Biden were to ban imports of Russian oil, which he did on Tuesday.
After the meeting with Biden, Duque reiterated to journalists that for Colombia Maduro “is a dictator” and said that he agrees with the United States that the solution to the situation in the oil nation is the return of democracy.
“I am not going to answer for the United States because I think that corresponds to the authorities of this country. For us, Nicolás Maduro is a dictator and we have condemned that dictatorship. Our position against the Nicolás Maduro regime does not change at all,” affirmed the Colombian president.
Venezuela is Russia’s closest ally in South America, and the United States is evaluating whether the country would distance itself from a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Maduro’s management in Venezuela has caused a humanitarian crisis that has affected Colombia.
A senior Biden administration official assured before the meeting that US talks with Venezuela would not spoil the meeting with Duque.
Duque’s visit came before the legislative elections and presidential consultations in Colombia, which will take place on Sunday.
Several leftist candidates proposed changes to the cornerstone of the relationship between the United States and Colombia: the fight against drug trafficking.
Duque, who will leave office in August, was under constant pressure from the administration of donald trump to decrease the coca cultivationthe raw material for cocaine.
Colombia has long been one of the main producers of the drug, despite billions of dollars given by the United States to Bogotá to combat drug trafficking.