Prior to the bilateral meeting between President Iván Duque and his counterpart Joe Biden, Democratic senators Bob Menéndez and Tim Kaine unveiled a legislative project, the strategic plan -United States Colombia Act 2022. A legislative roadmap focused on mutual commitments on issues of economic growth, anti-corruption, international security, environmental protection, refugees and migration.
This legislation also seeks to formally designate Colombia as an important non-NATO ally. Under United States law, this designation provides the closest associates in the country additional benefits in the areas of defense and security cooperation.
also search increase investment between the two countries to reduce US dependence on Chinese supply chains.
Three highlights of this legislation: it prohibits the use of foreign assistance from the United States to buy herbicides for aerial use in eradication programs, it also requires new classified reports on FARC dissidents and establishes a $200 million fund for companies created by women.
During his visit in Washington DC, andPresident Iván Duque held meetings in the Russel Room of the Senate with Democratic legislators Bob Menendez and Tim Kaine, the creators of the new legislation, as well as with the Republican congressmen Marco Rubio and Rob Portman.
The meeting between Biden and Duque takes place in the middle of the ccontroversial secret visit between White House officials and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Both Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Bob Menéndez they opposed this approach of the Biden administration which they call “Maduro’s regime”.
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According to congressmen, who obtained information about what was discussed at the meeting, The United States would have asked Maduro to buy oil in exchange for agreeing on a date to resume negotiations with the Venezuelan opposition in Mexico and to release US citizens imprisoned in Venezuela.
he sRepublican enator Marco Rubio He assured that this secret visit of members to lift some sanctions and supply oil to the United States is useless and that it would only benefit the government of Nicolás Maduro, if some sanctions were lifted.
“For Venezuela to be able to produce the necessary oil to have any type of impact on world costs, and specifically on the North American market, it will take years and millions of dollars of investment. to have that capacity, but the advantage of lifting sanctions would be immediate for the Maduro regime, it would be a huge victory. And beyond that, it would be a devastating blow to the opposition to him.”
For your part Senator Menendez assured that although he understands the economic consequences that President Joe Biden tries to avoid in the cost of gasoline in the United States, he said that the country could seek supply in nations such as Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, and not go to Venezuela “We cannot go to a dictator who has created huge consequences for his people, who kills people and jails them.”
