Colombia and Argentina take a step to overcome diplomatic differences by appointing their ambassadors

2024-04-19 22:06:01

BOGOTÁ (AP) — Colombia and Argentina restored their diplomatic representation on Friday in a further step to overcome diplomatic tensions that arose due to differences between presidents Gustavo Petro and Javier Milei and that escalated to the order of expulsion of Argentine diplomats.

In a joint statement by the foreign ministers of both countries, they indicated that the Colombian ambassador in Buenos Aires, Camilo Romero, will return to Argentina, following having been called for consultations in January; while Colombia granted approval to the designated ambassador of Argentina in Colombia, Mario Raúl Verón Guerra, who was proposed since January.

“This is a new moment in the relationship that we want to maintain in very pragmatic terms and for the benefit of both countries,” said the Colombian Foreign Minister, Luis Gilberto Murillo, following holding a private meeting in Bogotá with his Argentine counterpart, Diana Mondino, at the that the press did not have access to.

The most recent diplomatic tension occurred when Milei, an ultra-liberal and far-right economist who came to power in December, said in an interview with CNN that “not much can be expected from someone who was a terrorist murderer,” referring to the past of Petro, a leftist who was a member of an extinct Colombian guerrilla.

In protest, the Colombian government announced that it was going to expel diplomats from the Argentine embassy and Petro accused Milei of seeking to “destroy, or at least postpone, the project of Latin American integration.”

A few days later, both countries issued a statement ensuring that they had taken steps to “overcome any differences and strengthen this relationship.”

The meeting between Murillo and Mondino on Friday was intended, in addition to reviewing the bilateral agenda, to address the diplomatic differences that caused the Argentine president’s statements, according to the Colombian government.

“The voice of diplomacy has prevailed over insults,” celebrated the Colombian ambassador to Argentina in a statement released by the Foreign Ministry. And he added: “That symbol of totally restoring relationships that at some point were a little murky, to say the least, is an example of how to resolve conflicts.”

In addition to the diplomatic incident, the foreign ministers discussed issues of commercial cooperation, economic development and security.

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