Deputy Secretary General welcomes Colombian Foreign Minister to NATO
Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller welcomed Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (18 September 2018). Ms. Gottemoeller and Mr. Trujillo welcomed the deepening ties between the Alliance and Bogotá, and discussed the regional security context in Colombia. Looking to the future, they agreed that cyber defence, demining, and promoting the role of women in peace and security should be among the top priorities for cooperation. Deputy Secretary General Gottemoeller welcomed that NATO and Colombia share “a mutually beneficial relationship, a true partnership”.
NATO’s cooperation with Colombia has been developing steadily in recent years. In 2015, Colombian forces worked side-by-side with NATO off the Horn of Africa to suppress piracy and secure international shipping lanes. Colombian personnel have benefitted from courses at the NATO School in Germany and the NATO Defense College in Italy. NATO’s Building Integrity programme has also helped to increase transparency and professionalism in Colombia’s defence institutions.
Colombia officially became a partner country – the Alliance’s newest, and its first in Latin America – in May 2017. NATO works with 41 partner countries around the world to promote international peace and security.