US President Joe Biden meets with Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro in Washington today to build bilateral cooperation. Photo: REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita

US President Joe Biden meets with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in Washington today.

Their discussion will focus on furthering bilateral strategies for counter-narcotic operations, mitigation of criminal organizations, climate change responses, and Colombian rural development. The newly elected Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, is actively attempting to dissolve a six-decade domestic conflict, fight a war on drugs, and manage Venezuelan relations following resumption of diplomacy.

Colombia-US relations have vastly improved in recent years. Bogota is Washington’s third-largest Latin American trading partner, with joint trade of goods surpassing $29.9B USD in 2020. The US designated Colombia a major non-NATO ally and supported a new regional migration framework to allow Venezuelan refugees sanctuary in Colombia in 2022.

Despite Colombia’s left-winged legislature, protest and dissident remain rampant in Bogota alongside a spike in cocaine manufacturing. Biden will likely continue to support the TSPV migration policy and condemn the increase in accessible drug trade given their bilateral history. While Colombia and Venezuela repair their relationship, Washington will likely support the peaceful resettlement and movement of migrants. Given Petro had earlier stated his discontent with Biden’s handling of delicate counternarcotic operations, Colombia may seek supplementary international aid to handle the rise of transnational narcotic trade.