Colombia

Expectations run high of Colombia-China cooperation amid president's maiden trip to China

BOGOTA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego is in Beijing for a state visit this week, as many in Colombia are closely watching his maiden trip there.

"President Petro's visit to China can be deeply transformative for Colombia in a very positive way," said David Castrillon Kerrigan, an international relations academic at the Externado University of Colombia.

Colombia to open embassy in Palestine – President Petro

BOGOTA, Oct 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced late Thursday that his country will open an embassy in Ramallah, Palestine.

Petro issued the statement after meeting with Palestinian Ambassador Raouf Al-Maliki.

“I have expressed my position to achieve an international peace conference that opens the way for two independent and free states,” the President said on X following the meeting.

Israel halts ‘security exports’ over Colombian ‘anti-Semitism’

BOGOTÁ, Oct 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israel, one of the main providers of arms to Colombia’s military, said Sunday it was “halting security exports” to the South American country after taking umbrage at its president’s remarks on the war with Hamas.

Since the militant group’s vicious attack on Israel a week ago, President Gustavo Petro has posted numerous comments on X, formerly Twitter, supporting the people of Gaza.

In one post, Colombia’s first-ever leftist president compared Israel’s retaliatory targeting of Gaza to the Nazi persecution of Jews.

Colombia condemns genocide in Gaza, threatens to sever ties with Israel

16 October 2023; MEMO: Colombian President Gustavo Petro yesterday announced his intention to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which is suffering from a harsh siege as a result of the Israeli aggression.

Petro denounced “the genocide” carried out by Israeli occupation aircraft in Gaza, demanding the protection of health sector workers. He went on to stress that systematic attacks on civilians and genocide must be stopped and international law adhered to.

Colombia’s president has a plan for ‘total peace.’ But militias aren’t putting down their guns yet

BUENAVENTURA, Colombia (AP) — Officers wade through rows of abandoned wooden homes teetering above a mangrove-cloaked river – one of the key channels used by gangs to move drugs and weapons through this long-neglected swath of Colombia’s Pacific coast.

Each step for them is a reminder: Control here remains not with the law, but with those whose names are spoken in whispers in their city. Los Shottas and Los Espartanos.

Kenya wants to collaborate with Colombia to boost coffee trade

CHINCHINA (Colombia), Sept 14 (NNN-KBC) — Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has appealed to Colombia to partner with Kenya to boost coffee trade in Kenya.

Speaking while attending a Meeting with the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation in Chinchina, Colombia, the DP said that Kenya is on its way to reclaim its glory in the Coffee trade through overseeing reforms in the sector.

Colombia’s rebel group ELN announces one-month truce starting Thursday

BOGOTA, July 6 (NNN-MERCCOPRESS) — Colombia’s main rebel group National Liberation Army (ELN) ordered its forces to stop “offensive military actions” as of July 6.

However, in a message posted on the rebel group’s website, its members were advised to be prepared to “respond to threats or attacks by any armed group against our units or against the civilian population.”

Colombia: 4 children, including a baby, survived a plane crash and 40 days alone in the Amazon jungle

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Four Indigenous children survived an Amazon plane crash that killed three adults and then braved the jungle for 40 days before being found alive by Colombian soldiers, bringing a happy ending to a search-and-rescue saga that captivated a nation but also prompted questions about their extraordinary survival.

Colombia: Presidents Petro and Biden to meet on peace and migration

BOGOTA, April 18 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Colombia President Gustavo Petro will meet with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, on Thursday to address issues such as peace and migration.    

Before leaving for the US, Petro told reporters about his expectations for the meeting, especially on peace in his country and the entire American continent.

He said that peace is measured by disease, economic stagnation, hunger, and climate crisis.

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