The United States Will Evaluate the Possibility of Opening a Consulate in Barranquilla
Colombia’s Caribbean region is not only receiving the greatest attention from President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who has already announced that he will seek to make Barranquilla the country’s alternate capital. That city could also be on the radar of United States diplomacy, which will evaluate the opening of a consulate in the city also known as Colombia’s Golden Gate.
Luis Mendez, Deputy Assistant Secretary for South America in the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the United States Department of State, was in the city a few days ago. The official said that representatives of the U.S. government have already held talks with members of De la Espriella’s designated cabinet to identify areas of cooperation.
Initially, he stated that Washington seeks to work jointly with the De la Espriella administration to support efforts to address some of the main challenges the new government will face once it takes office on August 7, the day Colombia’s new president will be sworn in.
Barranquilla-United States ties could reach another level
During the conversation, Mendez highlighted the president-elect’s decision to establish an alternate seat of the Presidency of the Republic in Barranquilla. In his view, the capital of Atlantico has a strategic location and can play an important role in strengthening the bilateral relationship between Colombia and the United States.
But there are those, such as Atlantico Governor Eduardo Verano de la Rosa, who believe that ties between the city and the United States could be taken to another level. In that regard, he proposed that the North American country open a consulate in Barranquilla.
Mendez, as the seasoned diplomat he is, did not respond immediately. However, he assured that the initiative will be evaluated by the U.S. government and recalled that the bilateral relationship is currently based on the United States Embassy in Bogota.
“I believe we have a broad and close relationship with Colombia. The foundation of that relationship is the embassy in Bogota, and we are going to analyze the proposal presented by the governor,” Mendez said, reiterating the United States’ willingness to strengthen cooperation with Colombia’s new government on matters of common interest.
The National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD) explains that the United States has only one embassy and one ambassador in the capital of each foreign country. In large countries, the United States may have several consulates in addition to the embassy.
The services of a United States consulate
The NMAD also explains that consulates provide many of the same services and perform the same official functions as an embassy, but on a smaller scale. Consulates are generally located in other major cities of the host country, and a consul general heads the consulate.
These diplomatic offices follow the guidance of the ambassador in the host country. This ensures that throughout the country, the United States maintains a unified approach to its foreign policy objectives.
Because of their location, consulates can lead the implementation of certain foreign policy objectives. This means that, while the embassy develops policy, consulate diplomats can carry out a greater share of the work on the ground.
Consulates provide passports, birth registrations, and many other services to U.S. citizens visiting or residing in the country.
They also issue visas for foreign citizens to visit, study, and work in the United States. In addition, they cooperate with U.S. and foreign law enforcement agencies to combat international crime, verify backgrounds, and monitor human rights violations.
With a United States consulate, Barranquilla and Colombia’s Caribbean region would receive a powerful boost to their development. It remains to be seen what conclusion the U.S. government reaches after evaluating the proposal made by the Governor of Atlantico.