Drug trafficking, earthquake recovery and trade top Rubio-De la Espriella agenda

The fight against drug trafficking, bilateral trade and Colombia’s recovery from the Aug. 10 earthquake will dominate Tuesday’s meeting between President Abelardo de la Espriella and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The meeting marks Rubio’s first official visit to Colombia since De la Espriella took office a month ago. It forms part of a Latin American tour that also includes Ecuador and Peru from Sept. 8 to 10. The new Colombian administration has sought closer ties with Washington after years of tension between the United States and former President Gustavo Petro.

Earthquake recovery will come first on the agenda. The magnitude 7.4 quake struck western and central Colombia and killed 331 people. The United States has pledged $26.5 million for the emergency response and deployed Southern Command to transport supplies to Colombia.

The two governments also plan to deepen cooperation against what the U.S. State Department calls “joint counter-narcoterrorism.” Colombia recently joined the Coalition Against the Americas’ Cartels, a military and operational alliance promoted by the Trump administration. The State Department has announced a further $1 billion in material assistance to strengthen Colombia’s security forces.

Trade will form the third major part of the discussions. De la Espriella has asked Washington to temporarily suspend a 12.5% tariff on some Colombian imports, including flowers, to ease pressure on businesses dealing with the economic consequences of the earthquake.

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joint counter-narcoterrorism