Rubio hopes to secure ‘solid’ trade deals on Colombia, Ecuador and Peru tour

Marco Rubio began a tour of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru saying he expects the trip to produce “solid and beneficial” trade agreements with all three countries in the near future.

Speaking to reporters in Miami before boarding a flight to Barranquilla, Rubio described the tour as taking place amid growing ideological alignment between Washington and Latin America. His first stop is Colombia, where he is scheduled to meet new President Abelardo de la Espriella.

Rubio said the countries on his itinerary are closely aligned with the United States and share interests in combating terrorism and transnational organized crime, as well as in economic cooperation. He also pointed to what he called a trend of alignment with the United States and its interests across the Americas.

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We hope to close solid and beneficial trade agreements with the three countries in the near future.

He said Latin America sits at the center of the national security strategy of Donald Trump’s administration, which has made strengthening the U.S. presence in the region a priority. Rubio called Colombia’s recent election free and democratic and said De la Espriella, whom Trump supported during the campaign, is closely aligned with Washington.

In Ecuador, Rubio plans to meet President Daniel Noboa on Wednesday. He described Ecuador as one of the United States’ closest security partners in the region and said there was room to expand economic cooperation. Colombia has joined the Shield of the Americas, a military alliance against organized crime, and approved joint anti-narcotics operations on its territory, following similar operations in Ecuador. Rubio will travel to Lima on Thursday to work with Peru’s President Keiko Fujimori after what he described as a period of political instability.

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We are going to visit three countries closely aligned with the United States.