The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, arrived this Tuesday (8) in Barranquilla, Colombia, beginning his tour of Latin American countries. Until next Thursday (10), Rubio must still visit Ecuador and Peru.
The meeting with the Colombian president, Abelardo De la Espriella, and the country’s chancellor, Omar Bula Escobar, took place at Batalhão Paraíso, the alternative headquarters of the Presidency that the new government set up in Barranquilla. The agenda involved security, trade and reconstruction after the earthquake that killed 331 people in August. It is still planned to sign a civil nuclear cooperation agreement and another relating to critical minerals between the two countries.
According to information from the newspaper The New York TimesRubio arrived in Colombia with an incisive message from President Donald Trump. The publication points out that the Secretary of State intends to pressure the De la Espriella government to take tougher measures against drug trafficking in the country.
The new president took office on August 7, succeeding Gustavo Petro, and has tied Colombia’s agenda to Washington’s interests, both in terms of combating drug trafficking, immigration and energy. Because of this, according to the NOWauthorities must talk about migration, deportations and military capabilities.
“It’s part of a trend that we see in the Western Hemisphere, towards alignment with the United States,” Rubio even told journalists about the countries he intends to visit.
Rubio is a central character in Trump’s escalation in Latin America. A week before the trip, he was responsible for sealing an oil agreement with Venezuela, the result of the US military operation that kidnapped President Nicolás Maduro.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
