JAKARTA - The Colombian government has expressed its intention to continue to coordinate with the United States in combating drugs despite tensions in relations between the two presidents.
Interior Minister Armando Benedetti and Justice Minister Andres Idarraga Franco said the Colombian government is ready to work with the US on intelligence and the use of technology to dismantle criminal organizations.
"The Colombian government [...] has informed the US government, including its intelligence agencies, that we will continue to coordinate and cooperate in the eradication of the drug trade," Benedetti said, quoted by Sputnik, Tuesday, January 6.
He explained that the cooperation relied on US intelligence and technology to destroy laboratories, criminal networks, and crime camps.
Meanwhile, Franco emphasized that the eradication of narcotics must continue to be carried out together by utilizing the opportunities for bilateral cooperation.
He said Colombia would prioritize efforts to counter the threat, especially in the Colombian-Venezuelan border region.
On January 3, the US launched a massive attack on Venezuela that led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and bringing them to New York.
US President Donald Trump said the couple would be tried for alleged involvement in "narco-terrorism" and considered a threat, including to the US.
Later, Trump also accused Colombian President Gustavo Petro of producing cocaine and did not rule out the possibility of the US military carrying out similar operations in Colombia.
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