WASHINGTON, Nov 3, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – US President Donald Trump has postponed
a trip to meet with his Colombian counterpart Ivan Duque, officials said
Friday.
The American leader was supposed to arrive in Bogota after the November
30-December 1 G20 meeting in Buenos Aires, but the White House said his
“schedule will not allow him to travel to Colombia later this month.”
“Colombia is one of our closest partners in Latin America and the two
countries cooperate on counternarcotics, regional security and mutual
economic prosperity,” the statement added.
It said Trump “looks forward to future opportunities to engage,” following
talks with Duque on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in
September.
The meeting had been initially set for December 2.
The Colombian foreign ministry said the change was simply due to Trump’s
“modified” travel plans in Latin America.
Colombia and the United States have historically had a close relationship,
with the US government providing millions of dollars in aid to combat drug
trafficking and guerrillas.
Both Duque and Trump have been harshly critical of Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro’s leftist regime.
Duque, who like Trump is a conservative, took office in August succeeding
Juan Manuel Santos.