In the News: NATO and Colombia hold high-level staff talks and reaffirm their commitment to partnership, 04-Oct.-2021



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NATO and Colombia reaffirmed their commitment to a mutually beneficial partnership during high-level staff talks in Colombia, which ended on Saturday, October 2, 2021. Both sides pledged to deepen the relationship. political dialogue and intensify practical cooperation on good governance, military training, interoperability, demining and maritime security.

Under Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Bettina Cadenbach headed the NATO delegation. With the Colombian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs, Carlos Morales, and the Deputy Minister of Defense for International Policies, Sandra Alzate, they discussed possibilities for improving the security dialogue and exchanged views. views on the strategic environment.

During his stay in Bogota, Ambassador Cadenbach also participated in an academic panel entitled “NATO 2030: Preparing the Alliance to meet the challenges of this decade”, organized by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In her remarks, she underlined the importance of strengthening relationships with like-minded partners across the world, which is a key element of NATO’s 2030 Agenda.

Towards the end of her two-day trip, Ambassador Cadenbach also paid a visit to the National Training Center at the Tolemida military base. Colombia provides mine clearance training to Allies and NATO partners through the participation of the Colombian International Demining Center (CIDES) in the network of NATO Partnership Training and Training Centers (PTEC). NATO is also supporting Colombia in its efforts to strengthen the capabilities and capabilities of the Colombian armed forces.

Ambassador Cadenbach’s trip follows a recent meeting between NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President Iván Duque on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, as well as a meeting in September between the Secretary Deputy General Mircea Geoană and Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Marta Lucía Ramírez de Rincón.

Colombia has been a NATO partner country since 2017, the Alliance’s first in Latin America. In recent years, NATO and Colombia have strengthened dialogue and cooperation in a number of areas, including cybersecurity, terrorism, anti-corruption and maritime security.

Colombia and NATO will agree on a new partnership program in autumn 2021. Potential areas of interest for enhanced cooperation include interoperability, building integrity, training and education, as well as new areas such as climate change and security.

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