According to a statement released a few days ago by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, leaders will discuss how both nations can deepen bilateral ties by making progress on aspects such as “promoting greater economic cooperation and safety”. “
They will also discuss joint efforts to combat global warming and drug trafficking, and address the regional migration challenge, the official added.
Also ahead of the meeting, Petro stated that the meeting with the US President will come at a crucial time to strengthen ties and cooperation, “not only in the fight against drug trafficking, but also in protecting the Amazon, climate change and… of rural development”.
The United States is Colombia’s largest trading partner, an area where it has significant mining and manufacturing investments.
The South American nation is also home to eight Pentagon military bases that have operated with complete impunity in previous administrations in the Casa de Nariño as part of the systematic and ongoing aggression against Venezuela.
Precisely because of the need to reverse the punitive measures that Washington is imposing on the latter country, some of the points in the talk between Biden and Petro are expected to be addressed, judging by the statements made by the Colombian President last Monday around the seat of the United Nations Organization in New York.
Likewise, today’s meeting at the White House comes five days after the International Conference on the Venezuelan Political Process in Bogotá, which aims to encourage the revival of dialogue with the opposition in Caracas.
The meeting, supported by the Caracas government, is expected to be attended by representatives from fifteen countries, including the United States, Colombian Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva recently confirmed.
Petro also revealed to the UN that the aim of this meeting will be the search for “more democracy and zero sanctions”.
With the president’s assumption of power in August last year, Bogotá made a change in its policy towards Venezuela, which included several meetings with President Nicolás Maduro and the opening of the shared border.
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