Bogota, Colombia (AP) – Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia On Tuesday, he was attacked by the US government. Colombia has been added It’s on the list of countries that have not cooperated in the drug war for the first time in 30 years.
In his X-account message, the left-wing leader accused the US of trying to “participate” in Colombian politics and seeking “puppeteers” for next year’s presidential election.
“The people of Colombians will reply if they want a puppet president or a free and sovereign nation,” Peter wrote, adding another message that his country “knee on their knees” to our interests and that the farmers growing coca will not be allowed to “beat.”
On Monday, the Trump administration designated Colombia as a country that could not meet its international commitment to combat drug trafficking, and denounced the Colombian government for its lack of progress in the fight against cocaine trade.
The designation known as certification is a surprising b-liability for traditional US allies. It’s in the recent Surge in cocaine production and the frayed connection between the White House and Columbia’s first left-wing president.
Even if the US determined that Columbia failed to comply with international anti-drug obligations, the Trump administration has issued sanctions exemptions that caused major aid cuts.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy accusation in Bogota, John McNamara said consul services, humanitarian projects and defense cooperation would not be affected by Colombia’s exemption.
McNamara told Colombian radio station Blu.
Colombian certification comes as a cocaine-producing skyrocket in South America.
The amount of land dedicated to growing coca, the basic ingredient of cocaine, has almost tripled to a record 253,000 hectares in 2023 in the last decade, according to the latest report available from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Petro, a former rebel, has angered American officials by denying the US extradition demands and criticizing Trump’s administration’s efforts to crack down on immigrants and combat drug trafficking in nearby Venezuela.
The Colombian president also said whiskey kills more people than cocaine, and argued that the reason why wealthy countries like the United States want to crack down on cocaine is because it is produced in Latin America.
Sandra Borda, a professor of international relations at the University of Los Andes in Bogota, said Colombian certification is unlikely to affect efforts to challenge Colombian drug traffickers.
However, she hopes that tensions between the US and Colombian governments will increase as Petro uses Colombian announcements to harness anti-American sentiment and brings together his supporters ahead of next year’s election.
She explained that there was a “difficult relationship” between the Peter and Trump administrations. “You have unfriendly statements and declarations, and I think it’s the escalation you’re trying to see.”
In the president’s resolution, presented to Congress on Monday, the Trump administration primarily condemned Petro the rise of cocaine production in Colombia and described its efforts to negotiate a peace deal with “narcotelist groups” as a failure.
The report shows “skills and courage” by Colombian security agencies and local authorities in confronting drug traffickers, but said “it depends solely on political leaders that Colombia’s failure to fulfill its drug management duties over the past year.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented on Colombia’s announcement on Tuesday.
“Colombia has been a great partner historically,” Rubio told reporters. “But they have a president who, in addition to being unstable at the moment, hasn’t been a very good partner when it comes to taking on drug cartels.”
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