US, Colombia seek to expedite reciprocal trade agreement talks after earthquake

Mariam Ashalem De Andres

The US and Colombia are seeking to strengthen economic and trade ties and expedite negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Wednesday.

“At USTR, we are committed to strengthening our economic and trade ties, including through the expeditious negotiation of an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade,” Greer wrote in a post on US social media company X, following his meeting with Colombian Trade Minister Mauricio Gomez Amin.

Greer said he met Tuesday with Gomez Amin and conveyed condolences and support from the Trump administration to Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella and the Colombian people following the earthquake that struck Aug. 10.

“The earthquake has presented a difficult and early challenge to President De la Espriella’s presidency,” he said.

Gomez Amin thanked Greer for the expression of solidarity with Colombians affected by the quake and with De la Espriella.

“Extraordinary situations require extraordinary solutions, and we believe this is a moment to move forward with agility and determination,” Gomez Amin said in a post on X.

He said Colombia was ready to work with the US to strengthen trade ties and move swiftly toward a reciprocal trade agreement that would create greater opportunities and concrete benefits for both countries amid the humanitarian crisis caused by the quake.

“Trade with our main allies will be key to Colombia’s economic recovery and reconstruction,” he said, describing the moment as a “historic opportunity” to deepen economic ties based on trust, reciprocity and shared prosperity.

The talks come as Washington and Bogota seek to deepen ties under De la Espriella’s administration, which took office Aug. 7.

In a fact sheet issued the day of De la Espriella’s inauguration, the US State Department said the Trump administration was seeking to “reinvigorate” US-Colombia relations and deepen the shared security and economic partnership.

It said De la Espriella’s pro-growth agenda and openness to US investment created an opportunity to increase trade and deepen economic ties.

The US and Colombia have maintained close relations for decades, cooperating on trade, security and counterterrorism.

The economic partnership was strengthened by the 2012 US-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, which covers trade in goods and services and eliminated tariffs on most goods.