Although the diplomatic crisis between Colombia and the United States is over, Among businessmen the situation does not seem completely resolved. Rather, there is tension and uncertainty.
(Read here: Bogotá Metro and other transport works affected by budget postponement)
Andi president Bruce Mac Master said that although ‘apparently’ The situation was solved on Sunday, “Colombia remained in a situation of special fragility having put as a diplomatic and commercial objective of the United States government.”
He emphasized that the paragraph of the White House statement in which the resolution – on sanctions- It is written and without a firm waiting for Colombia to fulfill the commitment to receive the nationals that it sends from the United States.
By explaining that what happened is an immense diplomatic and strategic error by the government, he said that with this “Colombia also realized that it needs a clear strategy to act with its allies and its not so allied in commercial and diplomatic terms.”
For his part, Jaime Alberto Cabal, president of Fenalco, guild of the merchants, said that “It will spend time, before the true scope of this dispute is known. To the sustained decrease in foreign investment, which in 2024 reached levels of -22.4%, probably as a consequence of the reforms proposed by the Government, now we will have to add the effect of the uncertainty generated by an unnecessary and inconvenient confrontation. ”
(See here: Treasury, Mintrabajo and Ani, the most sacrificed in the postponement of the budget)
“Today, more than ever, politics, economy and foreign relations demand verbal continence and prudence, which Petro has shown that it is unable to do,” He added.
The unnecessary samples of instability make markets nervously, They make the dollar more expensive and the external debt of Colombia makes more expensive, said.
Critic of the management of government foreign relations, Cabal said “There are damages in the economy and employment due to the disastrous breakdown of relations with Israel and the mismanagement of relations with the United Kingdom. Additionally, with most Latin American countries there is no good relationship and cooperation, which moves confidence in Colombia of businessmen and other governments. ”
María Claudia María Claudia Lacouture, president of the Colombo American Chamber, Amcham Colombia, on the other hand, said that the crisis has generated a high degree of uncertainty that affects the confidence of buyers, investors, tourists and other actors with links with Colombia. “We continue to see the impact of the cancellation of appointments for the processing of visas, which affects those who hoped to obtain the document to travel to the United States for work, study or tourism, with potential economic losses.”
He assured that as long as the return process of deported Colombians is not completed, as indicated by the administration of President Trump, It is likely that controls and records intensify the goods that Colombia exports there.
“This is a critical challenge for perishable products such as fruits and flowers.” In the case of flowers, in the middle of high season of Valentine’s Day, there may be an impact, said Amcham’s president.
Constance Gómez Guasca
Portfolio journalist