Biden and Petro also discussed “bilateral security and cooperation against drugs.”
Washington:
US President Joe Biden congratulated Colombia’s new leftist President Gustavo Petro on his election victory in a phone call on Tuesday, the White House said.
The White House said Biden underlined that he wanted to work with the elected president to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including climate change, health security and implementation of the Colombian peace deal with left-wing extremists.
They also discussed “bilateral security and cooperation against drugs”.
Petro, himself a former guerrilla, was elected Colombia’s first leftist president on Sunday after defeating millionaire businessman Rodolfo Hernandez in a tense and unpredictable runoff election.
His victory is a clear foundation for leftist forces in Latin America and charts new ground in a country that has long been associated with US foreign policy as a center of drug manufacturing and violent insurgency.
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