On the 24th local time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia issued a statement strongly condemning the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control for including President Gustavo Petro Urego of the Republic of Colombia and his family, as well as Interior Minister Armando Benedeti on the sanctions list.
The statement said that this decision of the United States is groundless and an insult to the President of Colombia, the highest executive authority, the supreme commander of the armed forces and the whole Colombian people.
The statement also condemns U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s disrespectful and outrageous remarks against the Colombian president, calling them an insult to the Colombian president who has insisted on fighting drug trafficking for more than 30 years.
The statement said that what the United States did would not help normalize diplomatic relations between the two countries. The people of Colombia expect the U.S. government to value and respect its relations with Colombia like other countries.
previous reports
Relations between Colombia and the United States have tightened recently. The United States attacked several ships, including Colombian ships, in the Caribbean waters on the grounds of so-called "combating drug trafficking". In addition to announcing sanctions and suspending aid, US President Trump also threatened to impose tariffs on Colombia.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office for Asset Control overseas announced sanctions against Colombian Petró and Interior Minister Amando Benedetti on the grounds of involvement in drug trafficking.
In addition, the U.S. State Department also announced that it would no longer recognize Colombia’s anti-drug operations, impose sanctions on several Colombian officials, and suspend certification of specific aid for its 2025 fiscal year due to Colombia’s “ineffective anti-drug policy.”
Colombia's president says he will not surrender to U.S. sanctions
In a tweet, Petro said: “Colombia has been fighting drug trafficking effectively for decades, trying to help American society reduce cocaine consumption, and as a result I am sanctioned by the U.S. government.”
(Director of the press Deng Xiaoping)