The efforts of U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R) and Rick Scott (R) urging President Donald Trump to recertify Colombia’s efforts to eradicate its drug trade have paid off.
President Trump has signed and released his determination statement recertifying Colombia’s ongoing commitment to working with the U.S., praising Colombian President Ivan Duque for the progress his government has made to cut down the cocaine production levels that have spike over the past several years.
Trump stated that Duque “inherited” the high drug-cultivation levels “from his predecessor,” former President Alvaro Uribe.
“This progress needs to continue and expand, and my Administration will work with our Colombian partners to reach our joint 5-year goal to reduce coca cultivation and cocaine production by half by the end of 2023,” stated President Trump “We will also continue to coordinate closely with Colombia and other like-minded partners in our hemisphere to restore democracy in Venezuela. With the end of the Maduro dictatorship rife with criminal elements, the United States will have a much better opportunity to work with Venezuela to stem the flow of drugs leaving South America.”
Rubio and Scott acknowledged Trump's memorandum and released a joint statement.
“President Trump’s certification of Colombia’s commitment to combat the illegal drug trade reiterates the joint effort between our nations in the fight against narco-trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. We welcome this certification as a step for both of our countries to continue working together to counter the threat of Maduro’s narco-terrorist tyranny in Venezuela.”- Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott
