The head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken congratulated ex-guerrilla Gustavo Petro on Monday June 20 for his victory in the presidential election in Colombia and expressed his support for the strengthening of bilateral relations, indicated the Department of State.
Antony Blinken reiterated, in a phone call to Colombia's first elected left-wing president,
"the United States' unwavering commitment to bilateral ties,"
according to a State Department statement.
Blinken also
"stressed that our countries share democratic values and called for the strengthening of the 200-year friendship between the United States and Colombia"
.
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The US Secretary of State assured Gustavo Petro of Washington's full support for the peace process which, in 2016, ended 40 years of political violence.
The two men also discussed how to align the bilateral anti-narcotics policy with Gustavo Petro's goal of
"reducing violence in rural areas"
in Colombia.
As part of the "Colombia Plan" aimed at combating drug trafficking, Washington gave Bogotá - between 2000 and 2016 - more than seven billion dollars in aid, but the money was ultimately used in the fight against guerrillas.
In March, US President Joe Biden strengthened ties with Colombia by giving it the official, symbolically important rank of
“major ally outside NATO” .
" the United States.
Gustavo Petro, 62, was elected president of Colombia on Sunday, with 50.44% of the vote.