The United States says it has already sunk 17 vessels in the waters of the Caribbean and Pacific, allegedly involved in drug trafficking, causing more than 60 deaths
The President of the European Council announced the strengthening of cooperation in security matters and the fight against organized crime, including drug trafficking, between the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
At the final conference of the 4th EU-CELAC summit, which took place on Sunday in Santa Marta (Colombia), António Costa considered that the meeting “fulfilled the objectives of advancing and consolidating the bi-regional relationship”.
“We commit to strengthening our cooperation in various areas, in particular, security, health and the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking, through police and judicial cooperation and always, always, in compliance with international legality”, he highlighted.
In addition to the joint declaration with more than 50 points, the President of the European Council highlighted that two separate additional declarations were agreed.
“First, an alliance for citizen security, which will strengthen cooperation between the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean, in matters of security and the fight against organized crime, including drug trafficking,” he stated.
Costa designated the second additional declaration as a “Pact for Care”, which is intended to facilitate exchanges on advances and good practices in the care economy, a sector that encompasses activities such as domestic work, health support, education and care for children and the elderly, for example.
The meeting took place in a context of diplomatic tensions between Bogotá and Washington after the United States imposed sanctions on President Gustavo Petro and accused him of collaborating with drug trafficking.
The United States says it has already sunk 17 vessels in the waters of the Caribbean and Pacific, allegedly involved in drug trafficking, causing more than 60 deaths, while countries such as Colombia and Venezuela classify these North American attacks as murders and extrajudicial executions.
In the joint declaration there is no direct reference to the United States or Venezuela, but “full compliance with international law” is called for in the fight against drug trafficking.
The 4th EU-CELAC summit was marked by several absences, such as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, or the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
