Bogota: Colombia's Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio announced she will voluntarily renounce her US visa in a show of solidarity with President Gustavo Petro, whose own visa was revoked. "This is an act of dignity in the face of the unacceptable decision to revoke the visa of the President of Colombia," Villavicencio stated. "Our sovereignty does not bow down. Colombia must be respected."

According to Anadolu Agency, relations with the US became tense after the US State Department announced it would revoke President Petro's visa due to his "incendiary actions" during a pro-Palestinian street protest in New York. The decision was publicized on US social media company X, where the State Department accused Petro of urging US soldiers to disobey orders and incite violence.

While attending the UN General Assembly in New York, Petro addressed a group of protesters, advising US soldiers to "disobey the orders of Trump" and to "obey the order of humanity." Upon returning to Bogota, Petro confirmed the visa revocation but dismissed its significance, citing his European citizenship as a reason he does not require a visa to enter the US. "I am free, and every human being must be free on earth," he declared.

The revocation marks another chapter in the escalating tensions between Colombia and the US. Colombia's Interior Minister Armando Benedetti expressed his support for Petro, suggesting on X that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visa should have been revoked instead, criticizing the perceived preferential treatment given by the US.

This diplomatic tension follows a series of recent disputes, including Colombia's earlier decision to block two US military planes carrying deported migrants from landing on its territory. In retaliation, the Trump administration revoked visas for Colombian officials and threatened to impose tariffs on Colombian goods. Additionally, last week, the US decertified Colombia as an ally in the fight against drugs.