Trump administration says Colombia has failed in fight against drug trafficking, but US will still provide funding to country

The Trump administration said on Monday that Colombia’s obligations of fighting against drug smuggling are “clearly unsuccessful”, but the US will continue to provide financing to the country.

Although the continuation aid “deciding” of Colombia is still an important symbolic movement, although experts refrain from what experts say that it is the worst scenario to cut millions of financing.

At a time when Trump administration says that counter -interaction is the biggest priority, it is likely to damage the rocky relationship between Washington and Bogota. Militarized the management response and two Deadly strikes In the last few weeks, on the allegation of smugglers in international waters around South America.

The presidential determination, which was published on Monday night, said that Colombia’s aid to Colombia, despite its “explicit failed” last year, is “vital for the US national interests”. Colombia accused the certification for the president Gustavo PetroA clearly anxiety critic of the US President Donald Trump.

While Petro called his country to create “peaceful alternatives ına to coca cultivation instead of prosecution of farmers and small -scale smugglers, the Trump administration supported the“ war karşı against smugglers and determined numerous Latin American cartel and criminal organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.

“Coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia rose to the records of all time under President Gustavo Petro, and accommodation attempts with narco-terrorist groups worsened the crisis even worse.”

“Colombia security institutions and municipal officials continue to show skills and courage to face terrorists and crime groups, and the US values ​​the service and sacrifice of private public officials at all government levels,” he said. “The fact that Colombia could not fulfill its obligations of drug control last year is based only on its political leadership.”

“If the Colombian government carries out a more aggressive action to eliminate the core and to reduce cocaine production and smuggling, it also continues to benefit from cocaine production, including improved cooperation with the United States, including producing, human trafficking and colombian criminal organizations,”.

Petro addressed the news at a weekly television cabinet meeting on Monday night.

“The US has certified us after dozens of deaths between police officers, soldiers and civilians trying to influence cocaine trade, Pet said Petro.

According to the United Nations Drug and Crime Office (UNODC), Colombia is the world’s leading cocaine manufacturer, which constitutes almost two -thirds of total cocaine production.

Last week, a senior Colombian delegation visited Washington to emphasize their progress in the fight against “strong cooperation” between the two countries and the struggle against drug trafficking between the two countries.

General Carlos Fernando Fernando Beltrán and Colombian military commander Francisco Hernando Cubides Granados, General Commander of the Colombian National Police General Manager Francisco Hernando Cubides Granados, said they had captured hundreds of metric tons of cocaine and destroyed hundreds of hectares of coca crops.

They stated that Colombia was on the “front of the war against illegal drugs. They said more just weeks ago, more A dozen police officer And working dogs were killed when the helicopters provided by the State Department were shot by armed opponents.

“Our presidents have a national commitment in the fight against drugs, fighting these transnational punishment organizations,” our presidents’ presidents are in different sides of ideological division, “US Daniel García-Peña’s Ambassador of Colombian. He said. “We do this because drug smuggling has affected our country more than any country in the world, and we will continue to do whatever it is. Frankly, we can do it better if we do it together.”

Petro has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration. After a week to the second period of Trump, Petro prevented the landing of two military flights of the United States, accusing the US of being guilty of Colombian immigrants. Colombia He accepted later He deployed his own planes to accept shoots and help their return.

Petro recently criticized Washington’s various warships in the Caribbean Sea and a fatal strike on a drug ship that killed 11 people.

Trump said the United States has made another fatal strike to a alleged drug ship on Monday.

Colombia Defense Minister Ret said, “If the Colombia were certified, drug smugglers and nations would have lost, because they would no longer have the capacity to include these drugs and they would have reached other coasts,” he said. Gene. Pedro Sanchez warned CNN in an interview last week.

When Colombia was the last certified, he was under the presidency of Ernesto Samper in 1997. Since then, his country Washington has been the most reliable ally of national security and defense in South America.

Colombian and US agencies cooperate with drug trafficking and efforts to fight against transnational crimes. Colombian civil servants regularly train with the US armed forces and the Colombian army is an important customer of US weapons manufacturers. The US had historically provided tens of millions of security assistance to Bogota.

Retired US AMB. Todd Robinson, who served as the official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs during the Biden administration, said that if he cannot maintain the US and Colombia relations, he would be a really bad signal ”.

Many in Colombia were angry with the idea that only drugs producing countries should fight against smuggling.

Gloria Miranda, who is responsible for the crop substitution program carried out by the Colombian State, told CNN to “the exhausting nations should make their fair shares and support us, because this is the other side of drug trafficking”.

This story has been updated with additional details.

Andrea Gomez and Fernando Ramos contributed to reporting

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