Colombia: Colombia’s President Abelardo De La Espriella and his Costa Rican counterpart Laura Fernández on Tuesday vowed to deepen their countries’ security alliance to combat drug trafficking and 'narco-terrorism'.
Fernandez met De La Espriella during an official visit to the port city of Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
The visit marks the first official trip by Fernandez since she began her tenure as Costa Rica’s president.
During her remarks, Fernandez said her country will 'close ranks' to 'prevent the scourge of drug trafficking'. Meanwhile, De La Espriella said both countries will be cooperating deeply on “security, intelligence and information sharing, air and maritime cooperation, and the frontal fight against narco-terrorism”.
Both Costa Rica and Colombia are members of the Shield of the Americas, an anti-cartel coalition launched by US President Donald Trump in March to rally Latin American allies against drug trafficking.
The coalition primarily includes right-wing governments aligned with the Trump administration.