What is the US secretary, Antony Blinken, coming to Colombia for?

On the agenda of the US official there are meetings with the Colombian president, Iván Duque, and the vice president and foreign minister, Marta Lucía Ramírez.

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The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, will visit Colombia and Ecuador, from October 19 to 21, with the aim of participating in the summit of foreign ministers of the region to address solutions to migration in the continent. 24 happenings

What is your schedule?

The US State Department released this Friday Blinken's agenda on Colombian soil. This includes a meeting with President Iván Duque and with the Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister, Marta Lucía Ramírez, as well as the promotion of strong democratic systems, the fight against drug trafficking, sustainable reconciliation and support for peace.

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Blinken, according to Washington, will also meet with civic activists and youth leaders with whom he will talk about human rights and climate change.

Who else will travel?

In addition to Blinken, the event will be attended by the foreign ministers of Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Canadian immigration agent. The representatives of Costa Rica and Panama will also present themselves, but virtually. 24 happenings

What to Expect

This is Blinken's third trip to the region, after visiting Costa Rica in June and Mexico a week ago. The Foreign Ministry of Colombia pointed out that this is an opportunity to strengthen cooperation efforts with the United States and take relations to a better level, as well as strengthen trade, job creation and improve conditions for gender equality, the environment. atmosphere and transparency.

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However, the focus is on immigration issues. It is expected that the meeting will address the problem in Necoclí, Antioquia, where some 22,000 citizens, mostly Haitians, who seek to travel to the United States remain imprisoned.

What to pay attention to?

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Precisely because of the relevance that the issue of migration has acquired, we must pay attention to the dialogue on Haitian migrants. In an interview, the US Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, affirmed that the State Department is working with South American countries to find out if they would be willing to receive Haitian migrants, so there is a great possibility that countries like Colombia will host these migrants passing through with the help of Washington.

What else is coming?

Parallel to the meeting of foreign ministers, the Colombian ombudsman, Carlos Camargo, summoned all the ombudsmen of Ibero-America to a meeting with which he hopes to “establish cooperation mechanisms” to deal with the violence that occurs in the borders of the region, such as migrant smuggling. This meeting is scheduled for October 20 and 21 in Cartagena and will feature the participation of authorities from more than 20 countries, including representatives from Europe, Asia and Africa.

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"This international meeting seeks to promote the exchange of information that allows improving the technical capacity for the protection of human rights of migrants in the context of large-scale mixed movements," said Camargo.

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Why was the US Embassy in Bogotá on alert about Blinken's arrival?

The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported that at least five American families related to the United States Embassy in Colombia have been affected by the so-called “Havana syndrome,” according to emails sent by Ambassador Philip Goldberg and reviewed by said media. . For that reason, the US authorities set the alarms to provide the greatest security to Blinken during his visit.

The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported that at least five American families related to the United States Embassy in Colombia have been affected by the so-called “Havana syndrome,” according to emails sent by Ambassador Philip Goldberg and reviewed by said media. .

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After passing through Colombia, Blinken will visit Quito to meet with the Ecuadorian President, Guillermo Lasso, and the Foreign Minister of that country, Mauricio Montalvo, with the aim of strengthening ties between the two countries. However, the visit comes amid the scandal over Lasso's investments in tax havens, a revelation that came with the publication of the Pandora Papers.

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