Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Colombia’s new conservative government has made more real progress against criminal gangs in one month than the country achieved in the previous four years under Marxist President Gustavo Petro.
Rubio made the comments during a stop in Barranquilla, part of a Latin America swing that also includes Peru and Ecuador. He met with newly inaugurated President Abelardo de la Espriella and Foreign Minister Omar Bula, and the two governments signed memorandums of understanding on civil nuclear cooperation and critical minerals.
De la Espriella said the meeting confirmed the U.S.-Colombia alliance is “firmer than ever,” with both sides discussing security, the fight against narco-terrorism, and further cooperation.
In a Spanish-language interview afterward with NTN24 and Noticias RCN, Rubio said a government’s first duty is protecting its own people — a duty he said Colombia’s previous administration had abandoned.
“They have a president who was elected by a clear margin, and he has made it very clear, both during his campaign and now as president, that his number one priority is to restore stability and security for the Colombian people, and we are going to help in any way we can,” Rubio said.
Asked about the U.S. decertification of Colombia over drug trafficking and when that could change, Rubio said past ratings reflected the prior year’s record but that Washington now sees Colombia through a different lens.
“Over the past month, we’ve seen more concrete action against these criminal gangs than we’ve likely seen in four years, so I believe that if they continue on this path, there’s no doubt that certification status will change,” Rubio said.
He added that while recertification is normally an annual process, he will push to get Colombia’s status changed sooner.
De la Espriella took office August 7 for a four-year term running through 2030 after campaigning on a hardline promise to crush organized crime and narco-terrorist groups. In the opening hours of his administration, Colombian forces killed and captured several members of the Marxist FARC terrorist organization, with additional strikes against FARC fighters continuing in the weeks since.
Last month Colombia formally joined the U.S.-led Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C) and signed an agreement opening the door to joint Colombia-U.S. strikes against narco-terrorist groups on Colombian soil.
Asked whether the U.S. might establish military bases in Colombia, Rubio said “everything is possible” but noted that Colombia is sovereign and would have to extend the invitation itself through its elected leadership.
“Ultimately, that decision rests with the president through the U.S. Department of War, but what I can tell you without a doubt is that the security relationship between the United States and Colombia will not be the same as before, it will be better,” Rubio said.
