Reference News Network, October 21 report. According to the Latin American News Agency, on October 21, Colombian President Petro will work with part of his cabinet to develop response measures to address what he called the United States' "irrational threats." This move comes as tensions between Colombia and the United States escalate.

According to the report, Petro posted on the social media platform X that Colombia would make a wise response to the threat of new tariffs proposed by the United States in the context of bilateral trade issues.

Petro pointed out that after the U.S. government's unilateral decision to impose a 10% tariff on Colombia, the free trade agreement between the two countries was "effectively suspended," while the previous tariff preferences that had bound Colombia to the United States also expired. Petro added that Colombia's retention of the still-effective provisions of the free trade agreement was purely a "voluntary act."

Petro also pointed out that the wars Colombia has experienced over the past 50 years originated from the consumption of cocaine in the United States. He stated that in the efforts to combat the production and trafficking of cocaine, a division of labor was formed between the two sides: Colombia invested funds and paid the cost of personnel casualties, while the United States was the demand side for cocaine.

He emphasized: "The drug consumption within the United States and the growing demand for drugs in Europe directly led to the deaths of 300,000 people in Colombia and over a million deaths in the Latin American region."

Additionally, according to the European News Agency, on October 20, Colombia had recalled its ambassador to the United States for consultations, in response to Trump's accusation that Petro was a "drug trafficker" and the decision to suspend aid. The Foreign Minister confirmed that the ambassador to the United States had returned to Bogotá. (Translated by Han Chao)

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