Blinken seeks to reaffirm US-Colombia strategic ties in trip

By ASTRID SUAREZ
Associated Press

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his first official visit to South America, is seeking to reaffirm the strategic ties between his country and Colombia while underscoring the importance of ensuring that the democracies in the region meet the needs of their people. Blinken’s comments Thursday came ahead of the scheduled U.S.-Colombia High-Level Dialogue in Bogota, Colombia’s capital. Blinken raised three joint challenges due to the difficulty that each government implies assuming them alone: the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and migration. Blinken’s trip to South America began Tuesday with a visit to Ecuador, where he met with President Guillermo Lasso and democracy activists.