Colombia, US holds high-level dialogue to strengthen bilateral ties

Americas, News, US October 24, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

The ninth round of the U.S.-Colombia High-Level Dialogue (HLD) was held in Bogotá, Colombia on October 21.

Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucía Ramírez led the Colombian delegation, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken led the U.S. delegation to the U.S.-Colombia HLD.

According to the U.S. Department of State, “All discussions focused on recognizing progress on our shared goals, highlighting the spirit of partnership, and designating future areas for inclusive engagement under this framework.”

The delegations from Colombia and the U.S. held discussions on “expanding cooperation in the areas of Economic and Social Opportunities; Education, Culture, and Sports; Environment, Climate Change, and Health; Energy and Infrastructure; Democracy, Good Governance, and Human Rights; and Security, Counternarcotics, and Rural Development,” the statement added.

Colombian Vice President Lucía Ramírez and the U.S. Secretary of State Blinken expressed their countries’ commitment to work with “civil society and other relevant stakeholders to advance racial and ethnic equity and equality in both countries”. Both sides also agreed to deepen existing cooperation on combatting environmental crimes, rural and digital development, and strengthening climate change action.

The dialogue was first conducted in 2010 and serves as the flagship opportunity for Colombia and the United States to deepen bilateral cooperation across a broad range of issues.

The U.S. State Department statement highlighted that the “United States looks forward to celebrating 200 years of bilateral relations with Colombia next year” and Washington remains committed to its partners for achieving shared goals and realizing “inclusive, democratic, secure, and prosperous future for our region”.