(Via translation.)
QUESTION: Well, it is a tremendous honor to have with us here at RCN and NTN24 the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. Secretary, thank you for being here with us.
SECRETARY RUBIO: No, thanks. It's a great honor to be with you as well.
QUESTION: They are also watching us in Miami and throughout Latin America thanks to NTN24. As you know, we are networks that have followed your work closely since you were a senator and now as Secretary of State. And now you come to a country like Colombia, one that is not unfamiliar to you, because it must be said that you have defended democracy in our country, Colombia. Additionally, if you'll allow me a personal question, your wife also has very deep roots in this country. What is your personal connection to Colombia?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, my wife-her mother was born in [inaudible), stayed in [inaudible], and then moved to Bogotá. She still has relatives here. And I live in Miami, and I don't know if you know this, but there are a lot of Colombians in Miami.
QUESTION: Lots of them.
SECRETARY RUBIO: And that's why I wanted to mention it. And in Broward as well. But I have always followed Colombia very closely for two reasons. The personal connection is always important, and we follow everything that happens in the country very closely because of that relationship, but also because of the relationship between our two countries. You have to understand that for more than 20 years, throughout my entire time in the Senate, for example, the most important partner we had in South America was Colombia, the most consistent one. There were changes of government in different places, but when it came to economic and security matters, the most important partner the United States had was Colombia. That was broken over the last four years. Unfortunately, although many relationships still existed at the military and security levels and so forth, we went through a period that, I would say, was not natural in our relationship. It was somewhat damaged, unfortunately. But now we are entering a new stage, and I believe we are quickly going to recover what we had-and not simply recover what we had. We are going to be able to expand it even further, because you have a president here who has tremendous enthusiasm, a lot of energy, a lot of vision, and who is willing to take risks, but who is also responsible and knows the American system well. He understands well how our system works. That is also going to help him greatly in building that connection.
QUESTION: In fact, I remember you saying, "The best days are yet to come for Colombia," after your meeting with Abelardo de la Espriella, and I imagine you still feel the same way. But for that to happen, we need cooperation, especially on an issue that I know has long been a concern for both you and the President: security. How do you view the security situation in Colombia?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I have said it, and I will continue to say it. The most important responsibility of any government, at any level-municipal, departmental, state, as we say in the United States, or at the federal or national level-is security. It is the most important thing the government does: security. The security of a country, the security of a community, the security, the security of its people, and that is the most important thing. And to a certain extent, I think that was somewhat neglected in the thinking of the previous government over the last three or four years. You have a president who was very clearly elected, who made it very clear during his campaign and has made it clear now as president that his number one priority is to restore stability and security for the Colombian people, and we are going to help in every way possible. On top of that foundation of security comes prosperity. Prosperity is impossible without security. It is impossible to invest in a country that is unsafe. It is impossible to invest in a country that is dominated by cartels or criminal gangs. In many cases, these are not just Colombian criminal gangs; they are transnational, operating in Ecuador, Mexico, and other countries in the region. So, for us, security is fundamental. It is the most fundamental thing a government does, and these threats affect us as well, so we are going to help in every way possible. But it is not just about security; it is about security and prosperity. The two go together.
QUESTION: Look, Secretary, we are being attacked with drones by illegal armed groups, and in that regard, support with technology and upgrading equipment that is already obsolete in Colombia is very important. But there is another issue that is also of great concern, and that is the attacks coming from the other side of the border. You know that Venezuela has granted impunity to many of those criminals. What can the United States do on both fronts? Technological and Venezuela. And the criminals?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Let's talk first about the situation in Venezuela. We have the ELN and the president of the FARC operating openly and with impunity from Venezuelan territory. This has been going on for more than 10, 15 years. That has to be resolved. We have made that clear to the interim authorities in Venezuela, and I think that is going to be key to improving relations between the two countries. It is impossible for relations to truly improve while that issue remains as it is. No country can allow criminal gangs and terrorists to operate with impunity on the other side of its border, attack within its national territory, and then return under the protection of another country's borders. That cannot be allowed, and we are going to help with that. And we have already spoken with the Venezuelan authorities, including on the issue of drones. The technology is a global threat. This is a global threat because there is a lot of military equipment that requires a government with millions of dollars in order to acquire it. But in the case of these drones, that really is not necessary. Even criminal gangs can possess them and use them to attack and threaten a state. So, one of the things that is needed worldwide, not just in Colombia, is to establish new, modern defenses against this new threat, specifically drones that use fiber optics, which pose an enormous danger because at this time there is no conventional defense against them. So we have already had discussions about that.
QUESTION: And is the United States willing to help Colombia?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Yes, but we are not only willing to help Colombia; we also need it for our own resources. So, both countries have an interest in developing the new technology necessary to prevent this type of attack and defend against it.
QUESTION: Secretary, during the previous administration of President Gustavo Petro, the United States decertified us in the fight against drugs. How close are we to, or how far are we from, being certified again?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, remember that the certification announced this year has to do with the actions that took place last year. We have a completely different view when it comes to the new president and the new administration, this team. So I expect that if they continue to follow through and continue doing what they say they are going to do and what they have already done-I mean, in the last month we have seen more concrete action against these criminal groups than we possibly saw in four years. So I think that if they continue on that path, there is no doubt that the certification will change, as it has in the past.
QUESTION: How soon or how far away is that?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, that's done on an annual basis. It's possible that it can be done earlier because there's a waiver process to be able to do it sooner.
QUESTION: Are you going to help us in that, I imagine?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I, I, what I-I'm going to do everything possible to help Colombia. And obviously, if the new government continues as it already is, it's not that they're making promises; they're already doing it, and they have begun acting against that. I expect that to change.
QUESTION: Secretary, there is another issue that is also of great concern to small, large, and medium-sized businesses, and I'm sure it has come up in the conversations you have had over the past month and in the one you had today in Barranquilla. The issue of tariffs on certain products is affecting us. Uh, they are asking for a temporary suspension of some of those tariffs. Are you leaving us with that good news, or are we not there yet?
SECRETARY RUBIO: The tariffs, first of all, apply to everyone. They are not specifically directed at Colombia. This is worldwide. The Supreme Court and its ruling against the President's policy required a change in strategy and the use of a new process, Section 302, which is a U.S. domestic process that is very legal, very, very technical. But the President wants to change that. The way this issue can be resolved is through a bilateral agreement between the two countries, and negotiations on that are underway. I believe there have been two rounds of negotiations, they have progressed very well, and I hope that very soon the issue can be resolved through that agreement between the two countries. And for President Trump, it is a priority. He has said so. He wants to follow through and bring this to a conclusion. He wants to reach a bilateral agreement that eliminates the problem we currently have with the tariffs.
QUESTION: Well, that's good. Hopefully that will be the case. Secretary, I know you are very diplomatic, and you are going to tell me that you cannot say much about the OFAC list and former officials such as President Petro, Armando Benedetti, and others. But tell me, are there any ongoing investigations by the United States into that?
SECRETARY RUBIO: It's not that I'm being diplomatic; I cannot offer opinions or comment on investigations, whether active or not. I cannot comment on that. What I can tell you is that with all these sanctions, in our system there is no sanction that is imposed without evidence, and the evidence is not going to be ignored. If there is evidence that someone has committed a crime, is committing a crime, or has caused harm, that will be pursued. That is not up to me.
QUESTION: Are there any active investigations underway?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I can't comment on that because investigations are not under my purview. They are handled by the Department of Justice. So, I cannot comment on whether there are or are not. What I can tell you is that no one ends up on the, on the OFAC list because someone made something up. To be placed on the OFAC list, there have to be facts, there has to be evidence, there have to be concrete things that justify that decision.
QUESTION: In the case of these officials.
SECRETARY RUBIO: And there may possibly be others who are placed on that list at some point, if there is evidence against them as well.
QUESTION: Look, on that note, Gustavo Petro used to say that you had misinformed President Donald Trump. Gustavo Petro is no longer in Colombia; he is no longer the president of Colombia. What does Marco Rubio think of Gustavo Petro?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I think he is no longer president, and we are going to deal with the president you have. He is someone I have known for several years, since before he entered politics. I joked earlier that he went crazy and got into politics. But he is someone who was elected by the people of this country and someone we are going to work with.
QUESTION: Just so you know, President Abelardo responded, "And you're next."
SECRETARY RUBIO: Something like that, I think. I didn't quite understand it; I didn't see it very clearly, but he-but I had already been in politics for many years. He wasn't a politician; he had never been a politician. He was interested in politics, but he wasn't a politician. I knew him as a local businessman in Miami, and then he wanted to contribute to his country, he wanted to help his country. He ran for president when no one thought he was going to win, and he won. And now he is president, and he is the one we are going to deal with. I'm not going to dwell on the past.
QUESTION: Look, I know time is short. We're wrapping up now, Secretary, I promise. But let me ask you about a country that is, close to you, which is Cuba, and also about Nicaragua. What can the United States, and the world, do to finally bring those dictatorships to an end?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, as in every country, first, the primary responsibility for changing a system lies with the people of those countries. That is always the case. Obviously, we do not support what is happening, or what they are doing, in Nicaragua, and we have imposed sanctions against individuals, people who are contributing to the situation that currently exists in Nicaragua. When it comes to Cuba, what we are not going to continue allowing is for a military company called GAESA to keep stealing Cuba's money, and that is why we have imposed the strongest sanctions in the history of our relationship with Cuba. Tragically, the Cuban people are suffering, but they are not suffering because of us. They are suffering for two reasons. First, because the individuals in charge of that regime are following an economic model that does not work and has never worked. But now it does not work because they have become accustomed, for more than 60 years, to living off assistance from abroad. First, it was the Soviet Union, then it was Hugo Chávez, and when the free oil they were stealing from Venezuela ran out, they were left without oil. That is not our fault. That is their fault for not having a functioning market. And second, because some-many of the leaders in Cuba who are currently part of that regime are incompetent. They do not know how to manage the economy, and they are the ones who have directly contributed to the suffering of the Cuban people. But what we are not going to allow is for them to continue evading sanctions in order to benefit themselves at the expense of the Cuban people.
QUESTION: And what do you mean by not allowing it? Carrying out an operation like the one in Venezuela?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Not allowing it-well, for example, we are already doing that. We have shut down bank accounts. Many, many foreign companies have left Cuba because of these sanctions, and they have left because those companies were partners, they had entered into business dealings with these elements of the regime, and they were enriching themselves.
QUESTION: But could tougher measures be coming, Secretary?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I'm not going to speculate about what those measures might be, but we always have the right to operate and take action to protect the national security of the United States. I'm not going to comment specifically on exactly what can be done, but we have an obligation to protect the national security of the United States if a threat arises in Cuba, Venezuela, or anywhere else in the world.
QUESTION: Look, one thing: the possibility of having U.S. military bases in Colombia, yes or no?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Anything is possible. Obviously, this has to come through-first, we have to be invited, because this is a sovereign country, and the decision has to be made by the Venezuelan people through-sorry, by the Colombian people, through their elected officials. If they officially make that request to us, then it will be considered to see what is possible. At the end of the day, that decision is up to the President, through the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of War. But what I can tell you, without a doubt, is that the security relationship between the United States and Colombia is not going to be the same as before; it is going to be better.
QUESTION: Look, I'll wrap up, but as we say here in Colombia, President Abelardo de la Espriella gave me the task to ask you about your political future. The 2028 elections. Am I interviewing one of the strongest candidates for 2028?
SECRETARY RUBIO: But I'm not a candidate for anything right now, and I'm 100% focused on my job, and I have to be because I have two jobs. I have my job as Secretary of State, and I also work as the President's National Security Advisor, so I have plenty of work right now.
QUESTION: But is the dream of becoming President of the United States there?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I don't know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time. I'm 100% focused on my jobs.
QUESTION: Secretary, and speaking of that job, we want to thank you, on behalf of all Colombians, for what you have done for this country and for its democracy. And please, continue to keep in mind cooperation based on equality, trust, and respect between the United States and Colombia. Thank you, Marco Rubio.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you very much.
