A few days following his departure from the Casa de Nariño, the President Ivan Duque launched a strong assertion once morest the Minister of Defense appointed by Gustavo Petro, the Antioquia lawyer Ivan Velasquez.
In statements to Caracol Radio delivered this Wednesday morning, the head of state clarified that he does not know Velásquez personally, but that has not prevented him from seeing that he has had several pronouncements that have generated harshness due to the “radical” positions that he has as a lawyer.
“Even towards myself, without knowing me, I saw insulting accusations in which he called me almost a murderer a few years ago,” said Duque in an interview with Caracol Radio.
On these facts, the head of state did not make greater emphasis or go into detail when that accusation was made; However, that did not prevent him from talking regarding the challenges that Velásquez will have once he reaches the portfolio that he leads today. diego molano.
In total, there are four fundamental points that Iván Duque considers necessary to guarantee as of August 7 in terms of security and defense.
Velásquez’s challenges according to Duque
The first is that the lawyer must “generate confidence in the military because if he defense minister does not generate confidence, the performance of the Forces begins to waver”.
For the president, the soldiers and police of Colombia they need to feel that they have someone as a boss who supports them, and that he is able to interpret his thoughts. The quarrel that exists on this point is that the incoming minister has criticized on several occasions the actions of some soldiers, something that has left the Forces feeling not very good.
The second thing that is very key for Duque is that the new member of the ministerial cabinet that Gustavo Petro is preparing will have to restore confidence to the sectors he has attacked, since if it does not have it, at the discretion of Duque, the control and Information management They might make Velásquez wobble when transmitting orders to the Military Forces.
The last two challenges not only touch the minister, but also the entire cabinet that will accompany Petro. In the case of Velásquez, he has to assume the reins of a security portfolio and public order in which his greatest knowledge is human rights and justice. In that order of ideas, work will have to be done on the substitution of illicit crops.
For all these matters, President Iván Duque once once more wished Petro the best, who will replace him in the Casa de Nariño once the change of command takes place on August 7.
