Rubio set to travel to Colombia for meeting with President De la Espriella: Report

Mariam Ashalem De Andres

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Colombia next week for a meeting with President Abelardo de la Espriella in Barranquilla, Colombian media reported Thursday.

“Today, more than ever, Colombia and the United States must be united,” De la Espriella said after speaking with Rubio by phone on Aug. 18.

The trip, whose date has not yet been confirmed, would mark Rubio’s first official working visit to Colombia since joining the Trump administration.

De la Espriella reiterated his request for a temporary suspension of tariffs affecting Colombian products and discussed efforts to secure US assistance following an Aug. 10 earthquake.

The meeting is expected to focus on diplomatic and economic issues, including trade and cooperation, according to media reports.

The two governments are also seeking to strengthen security cooperation, with issues including drug trafficking and regional security expected to feature in the discussions.

Rubio met Colombian Vice President Jose Manuel Restrepo in Washington in July, before De la Espriella’s inauguration.

Those talks included security cooperation, the eradication of illicit crops, restoring public order and strengthening Colombia’s armed forces.

Restrepo raised the possibility of Colombia formally joining the “Shield of the Americas,” a US-backed initiative aimed at strengthening regional security cooperation.

The Rubio visit comes as De la Espriella’s government seeks to deepen ties with Washington while addressing economic and security issues.

Additional details of Rubio’s Latin American trip have yet to be announced.