On 14 February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed President Iván Duque of Colombia at NATO HQ, and thanked him for the strong partnership between NATO and Colombia, and its contribution in building international peace and stability.
Colombia became a NATO partner in 2017, the first in Latin America. In December 2021, Colombia and NATO agreed on a new partnership program, which laid the ground for enhanced cooperation in areas such as interoperability, building integrity, training and education, and climate change and security.
President Duque and the NATO Secretary General also discussed the massive and unjustified Russian military build-up in and around Ukraine. "NATO remains ready to engage in meaningful dialogue with Russia", the Secretary General reiterated. "And the best way for Russia to demonstrate its readiness to find a peaceful solution is to de-escalate and remove their forces which are now threatening Ukraine", he continued. The leaders agreed that "every sovereign nation has the fundamental right to choose its own path".
The two leaders also addressed the deepening cooperation between Russia and China, including their support for the repressive regime in Venezuela. "We agreed that all parties should play a constructive role for regional peace and stability", the Secretary General said.
Enhancing relations with like-minded partners across the world, such as Colombia, is an essential part of NATO's 2030 agenda for the Madrid Summit in June in order to address global security challenges.
