Colombia diplomatic break

Where things stand

Colombia's president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has announced that his government, which takes office on 7 August, will break diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua, according to Telesur and Le Monde. The same announcement covers a wider retrenchment of Colombia's diplomatic network: at least 14 embassies are to be closed, among them the missions in Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. The plan has been stated as intent by the incoming administration and has not yet been implemented, since the transfer of power is still pending. The move places the rupture with Havana and Managua at the centre of the new government's foreign policy before it has taken office. Le Monde notes that de la Espriella won the presidential election narrowly and was backed during the campaign by US President Donald Trump, context that frames the announced realignment. Reactions from the governments concerned, and the practical timetable for closing the listed missions, are not yet reported in the available sources.

Abelardo de la Espriella is Colombia's president-elect and is due to take office on 7 August. Le Monde reports that he won the presidential election by a narrow margin and had the support of US President Donald Trump during the campaign. The question now at issue is his announced intention to sever Colombia's diplomatic relations with Cuba and Nicaragua and to shut at least 14 of the country's embassies abroad, including those in Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua. Reporting on the announcement comes from Telesur and Le Monde. Because the incoming government has not yet been sworn in, the announcement remains a declared plan rather than an executed policy.