What left Gustavo Petro’s meeting with Joe Biden in the US
After a meeting of about two hours, the first meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his US counterpart Joe Biden ended, with whom the binational agenda was coordinated and several of Colombia’s proposals were put on the table. regarding environmental protection and energy transition.
As stated by President Petro at the end of the meeting, President Joe Biden would have been optimistic about the proposal to exchange public debt for protection of the Amazon rainforest. An issue that, as he explained, should be studied by the International Monetary Fund to analyze its feasibility.
“The United States government committed $500 million to the Revitalization Fund and there we talked about the possibility of exchanging debt for climate action around the world from IMF stand-by rights. The US government and even personally President Biden felt interpreted by the proposal (…) and they said they were very interested in take the proposal to the IMF and make it a reality”, Petro referred to the subject.
On the other hand, there was also talk of the construction of an ‘Alliance for Progress’ to make Latin America a great electricity transmission network that will turn the continent into a provider of clean energy and, above all, the support that the United States could provide for the consolidation of agrarian reform proposed by the National Government.
Venezuela, a central axis of the Petro-Biden meeting
During President Gustavo Petro’s conversation with the US government, the fate of Venezuela was a central issue because it is of great interest to reduce the political tensions that are registered there and move towards free and guaranteed elections, as well as the re-entry of the neighboring country to the Inter-American Human Rights System.
“A goal that in the end is for the people to decide freely, without sanctions, without pressure, their own social and political destiny,” said Petro on the subject.
Faced with the issue, President Petro was encouraged by the International Summit for Venezuela to be held in Bogotá next week, which will seek, with the support of the international community, reach a grand agreement that resolves the conflicts in the border country.
fight against drugs
Faced with anti-drug policy, which was also a priority issue at the meeting, President Petro revealed that he requested more support in technological matters to advance in the disarticulation of what he has called the “drug business”. Thus.
“It is one thing to fumigate a forest and some human beings who are economically weak and another thing is persecute the ‘drug business‘, which is done through intelligence work on their assets, their money, and that is done through interdiction. I requested a little more help in that regard, we need more boats, more boats, more drones,” he said.
With information from EFE Agency*