United States President Joe Biden announced on Thursday that he plans to designate Colombia as a major non-NATO ally, a move that will assist the Latin American country in areas such as defense, economic, and security cooperation.
Biden made the statement while meeting Colombian President Ivan Duque for the first time at the White House.
The visit comes after Biden administration officials met with Nicolás Maduro's Leftist government in neighboring Venezuela, which has tense relations with both the U.S. and Colombia, over the weekend.
In order to avoid an embarrassing moment, neither Biden nor Duque mentioned the U.S.-Venezuela meeting in public.
Colombia is a key ally of the United States, and Duque leads the regional opposition to Maduro. Biden stated that he wants to bring Colombia into NATO.
"That's precisely what you are, a major non-NATO ally, and this is an acknowledgment of our countries' unique and strong connection," he told Duque, who sat across from him at a large table in the Cabinet Room, each leader accompanied by a small group of advisers.
"In my opinion, Colombia is the lynchpin of the entire hemisphere," Biden added.
Biden's announcement, according to Duque, recognized "values and ideals" that both Western Hemisphere countries share.
Back home, Duque has been chastised for not sitting with the president of the U.S., his strategic ally. They did meet briefly late last year in Glasgow, Scotland, at a meeting of world leaders for a climate summit.
Duque's trip to the White House coincided with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Colombia's upcoming presidential elections, which will determine his successor.
Both presidents discussed Venezuela in the context of Colombia's support to almost 2 million Venezuelan refugees who have crossed the border to escape their country's awful economic and living conditions.
Duque has spearheaded regional resistance to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom he sees as a "dictator" - a description he repeated after his meeting with Biden when questioned by Colombian press.
Duque has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela.
Colombia's administration has questioned Russia's military aid to Venezuela and expressed concerns about "foreign meddling" in Colombia, which shares a long border with Venezuela, without presenting evidence.
Duque has remained silent about the U.S.-Venezuela meeting in public, and he did so again on Thursday following the White House visit.
