Readout of Vice President Biden's Trip to Cartagena, Colombia

Vice President Biden visited Cartagena, Colombia on December 1-2 to engage in discussions with President Juan Manuel Santos and attend the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-Colombia Advisory Council, a trade and investment forum. The Vice President congratulated President Santos and his cabinet for bringing the Colombian peace process to a successful conclusion through its ratification by the Colombian congress on November 30. The Vice President noted that the United States' relationship with Colombia has been sustained through many years under both Republican and Democratic administrations, with the bipartisan backing of the U.S. Congress, and he pledged to continue his work to maintain this consensus to support the successful implementation of the peace accords.

The Vice President joined with President Santos to inaugurate the first meeting of the U.S.-Colombia Advisory Council and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Colombian National Business Association (ANDI) to establish the U.S.-Colombia Business Council. The Vice President delivered remarks at the presidential plenary session of the Council, and later engaged in a private discussion with two dozen business leaders and CEOs from the United States and Colombia to identify opportunities to increase trade and investment between the two countries, create jobs, and provide a robust economic climate for the implementation of the peace accords.

The Vice President also visited Colombia's Bolivar Naval Base, the home of the Colombian Navy and base of the Navy's major ships and submarines. It serves as the headquarters for all Colombian Navy and Coast Guard counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean. The Vice President reviewed the counternarcotics operations and underscored the need to maintain and increase the strong cooperation between Colombia and the United States in fighting transnational criminal organizations and expanding security for the people of Colombia, the United States, and the region.

The Vice President's visit to Colombia at this historic moment in Colombian history reaffirmed the United States' continuing commitment to a hemisphere that is democratic, prosperous, secure, and at peace.