Beirut: Colombia's President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella announced a sweeping reorganization of the nation's diplomatic corps on Monday, prioritizing a strategic realignment with Israel while severing ties with several governments. 'I am going to reopen the embassy of Colombia in Jerusalem,' de la Espriella said in a video announcement, fulfilling a major campaign promise.
According to Anadolu Agency, the pro-Israel leader, who received strong backing from US President Donald Trump during his campaign, also ordered the suspension of a planned embassy in Palestine, asserting that the office never actually became operational. Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced in October 2023 that his country will open an embassy in the central city of Ramallah in Palestine.
The president-elect revealed plans to close 14 embassies and approximately 15 consulates to reduce bureaucratic spending. "In a first stage, I will close the embassies of Algeria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Cuba, Czechia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Romania, Senegal, (and) South Africa," he said.
While de la Espriella noted that most closures do not constitute a total break in relations, he made a definitive exception for Cuba and Nicaragua. 'In my government, there will be no link whatsoever with tyrannies,' he said.
To streamline operations, Colombia will shift to "concurrent representation" models, where existing regional embassies handle affairs for multiple countries. De la Espriella also labeled the maintenance of separate missions for international bodies like UNESCO in Paris and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome as 'absurd,' pledging to unify them under a single ambassador.
Additionally, the incoming administration plans to open a new embassy in Nigeria to coordinate more efficient diplomacy across Africa, said de la Espriella.
Meanwhile, Petro issued a sharp rebuke to the newly approved Israeli ambassador to Colombia, Vivian Aisen, while accusing his successor of complicity in genocide. Responding to Aisen's statement expressing honor at her appointment, Petro challenged her record on women's empowerment. 'A mother who fights for women's equality would never allow tens of thousands of Palestinian women and their children ... to be killed by missiles,' Petro said through the US social media company X.
The outgoing president further said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has committed "crimes against humanity" and alleged that de la Espriella, is an 'accomplice to genocide,' asserting that his victory was achieved through the manipulation of private software. Petro claimed that specific algorithms were modified in Los Angeles to replace "the popular will."