After a period of strained relations between Colombia and Israel, the country’s president-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, announced Monday a shift in his nation’s foreign policy.
De la Espriella declared that upon taking office he will reopen Colombia’s embassy in Israel and move it to Jerusalem. He will also cancel plans to open a Colombian embassy in ‘Palestine’ that were advanced by the outgoing government led by President Gustavo Petro.
De la Espriella announced during a weekly broadcast that he intends to make a series of changes to Colombia’s diplomatic apparatus, including closing several embassies around the world and consolidating some diplomatic missions, with the goal of cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy.
1+According to him, canceling the opening of the embassy in ‘Palestine’ is part of the shift he seeks to lead in the country’s foreign policy. He also announced he will open a new embassy in Nigeria.
The president-elect noted that closing embassies does not necessarily mean severing diplomatic relations with the countries where the missions will be shut down, except for Cuba and Nicaragua, for which he announced a change in relations.
1+The decisions announced by de la Espriella mark a shift from the course led by outgoing President Petro, during whose tenure relations with Israel deteriorated and who advanced the move to open a diplomatic mission in ‘Palestine.’