Former President Juan Manuel Santos on Tuesday dismissed Guatemala’s investigation into Colombian Defense Minister Iván Velásquez as “absurd”, but called for more dialogue between both countries and for their leaders to avoid insults.
«I think that in this case it is very easy to reach an agreement. That accusation made against the minister is an absurd accusation, which has neither head nor tail,” Santos said in an interview with EFE.
To do this, however, it is imperative that both leaders “sit down to talk,” said the former president, because “if they start insulting each other, the presidents will never get anywhere.”
The announcement by the Guatemalan Public Ministry that it intends to prosecute Minister Velásquez for his role at the head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala between 2013 and 2017 has sparked a diplomatic skirmish between the two Latin American nations.
The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, called his ambassador in Guatemala for consultations last week, a decision imitated by the president of the Central American country, Alejandro Giammattei, after which both have exchanged more or less veiled quibbles in the media and social networks.
Santos made these statements after participating in an event in Washington to warn about the dangers that threaten humanity, such as nuclear weapons or the climate crisis.
The former president explained that it is time for the people to “shake up their leaders” so that they make the appropriate decisions in these areas, and that it is necessary to regain moderation to face the threats to democracy that are experienced throughout Latin America. EFE