The US Secretary of State visits Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to strengthen cooperation with right-wing allies.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump’s administration hopes to strike trade deals with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador soon, as the United States seeks stronger ties with right-wing allies across Latin America.
Rubio visited Barranquilla on Tuesday as part of a three-nation visit aimed at strengthening ties with allied governments and expanding U.S. military involvement in the region, where he met with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriela.
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“We have many common interests with both countries, both in tackling regional transnational criminal terrorism and in our economic engagement,” Rubio said before departing. “This is part of a trend we are seeing in the Western Hemisphere that is consistent with the United States and its interests.”
In addition to Colombia, the US Secretary of State is scheduled to visit Ecuador and Peru later this week and meet with their respective presidents Daniel Novoa and Keiko Fujimori.
Before leaving for Colombia, Rubio explained that the U.S. government is seeking “good, solid” trade deals with all three countries in the near future.
This diplomatic visit is also an attempt by the Trump administration to check the expansion of China’s influence in Latin America.
For example, China signed a free trade agreement with Peru in 2009 and has since become the South American country’s largest trading partner, surpassing the United States.
The Trump administration is also pushing for tighter control over the entire Western Hemisphere as part of a policy platform informally known as the Donroe Doctrine.
Security has been central to that effort. Since taking office for his second term, President Trump has touted the role as critical to combating drug trafficking and has authorized deadly military action in Venezuela, the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean.
Mr. de la Espriela took office in August and promised a return to a military approach to fighting crime and armed groups, in line with President Trump’s priorities.
He also vowed to pursue closer ties with the United States after Trump’s clashes with Colombia’s first leftist leader, former President Gustavo Petro.
“Colombia wants to reestablish itself as a major partner of the United States in hemispheric security,” Dela Espriera said after meeting with Rubio, which included signing agreements on critical minerals and civil nuclear cooperation.
Mr. de la Espriela said he would seek U.S. support for military operations, including through radar and drone technology.
Mr. de la Espriela, a political newcomer with no experience in elected office, has joined a wave of right-wing victories across Latin America in recent years.
The Trump administration has stepped up the campaigns of conservative candidates in the region by promising financial and political support.
He also invited them to join the American Coalition Against Cartels (ACCC), or “Shield of the Americas,” a regional security framework that emphasizes the involvement of the U.S. military to combat drugs and crime.
Ivan Cepeda, a leftist presidential candidate from the Petro Alliance, denounced Rubio’s visit to Colombia as an “abandonment of strategic aspects of sovereignty,” referring to the mineral and energy deals on Tuesday.
Mr. Cepeda also criticized Mr. de la Espriela’s decision to loosen gun laws on the same day, a position consistent with the Trump administration’s policies.
“How disastrous is the ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ that Mr. Rubio and Mr. de la Espriela are scheduled to sign, considering that the equally disastrous decision to carry weapons is announced at the same time,” Cepeda wrote on social media.
But de la Espriela defended his decision, citing Colombia’s fight against crime and 60 years of internal conflict.
“For years, law-abiding citizens have faced restrictions while criminals have continued to arm themselves illegally. This must change,” he said in a social media post.
Colombia has asked the Trump administration to lower tariffs imposed on the country in July.
