Bogota/The elected president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, confirmed this Thursday that after taking office, on August 7, he will reestablish “the historic alliance with Israel”, which includes the transfer of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as anticipated the day before by the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar.
An agreement in this regard was reached on Wednesday in Washington in a meeting held by Sa’ar and the next foreign minister of Colombia, Omar Bula Escobarindicated the press office of the elected president.
“The agreement contemplates the immediate exchange of ambassadors, the reciprocal elimination of visas and the progress towards the opening of the Colombian Embassy in Jerusalem, capital of Israel, with the accompaniment of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said in a statement.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro broke diplomatic relations with Israel on May 1, 2024 in rejection of the Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following the attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
“The historical relationship that the Petro Government unilaterally broke will be strengthened again. Colombia will recover its allies, its diplomatic word and its place as a reliable partner in the world”
However, during the last election campaign, De la Espriella promised that he would restore that relationship.
“The historical relationship that the Petro Government unilaterally broke will be strengthened again. Colombia will recover its allies, its diplomatic word and its place as a reliable partner in the world,” added De la Espriella’s statement.
According to the information, the roadmap agreed upon between Sa’ar and Bula also establishes that Colombia “will resume a serious and responsible position on the international stage, including the United Nations system.”
Along these lines, the South American country “will withdraw its intervention in the case promoted by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice”, a case to which Petro added Colombia.
Until the break in relations, Israel had been a great ally of Colombia, especially in the fields of security and technology, as well as an important supplier of weapons to the country, from which it in turn bought huge quantities of coal, exports that Petro also suspended.
“Colombia was one of Israel’s great friends, and that friendship will be stronger than ever,” Sa’ar wrote yesterday on his X account, in a publication in which he stated that both governments will work to strengthen the bilateral alliance.
