US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Colombia to reset diplomatic relations

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Colombia on September 8, 2026, marking the first stop of his Latin American tour. The visit aims to reaffirm U.S. influence in the region and provide strategic support to the newly elected right-wing president, Abelardo de la Espriella, who assumed office on August 7, 2026. This trip signifies a major pivot in bilateral relations following years of tension during the administration of the country’s first leftist president, Gustavo Petro.

During a joint press conference in the port city of Barranquilla, Rubio met with President de la Espriella and promised to end what he termed four years of mismanagement. He pledged an era of unprecedented cooperation, signaling the reconstruction of the strategic alliance between Washington and Bogotá. Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula described the visit as a critical step in restoring the historical partnership between the two nations.

The diplomatic push comes as Colombia faces a period of renewed domestic violence. The administration of the 48-year-old businessman and lawyer de la Espriella has adopted an anti-establishment rhetoric, which aligns with the current political shift toward closer ties with the United States observed across the Western Hemisphere.