Celebrating 200 years of United States diplomatic relations with Colombia.

Whereas, on August 7, 1819, Colombia (formerly known as The Great Colombia) concluded their independence campaign from Spain with the Battle of Boyacá; Whereas, on March 18, 1822, the House of Representatives approved two resolutions recognizing the independence of Colombia, and allocated funds for the establishment of a diplomatic mission; Whereas, on June 19, 1822, the United States and Colombia formally established diplomatic relations, and the accreditation of Colombia’s Manuel Torres marked the first Chargé d’Affaires from a Latin American country to the United States; Whereas, on December 16, 1823, the United States appointed its first Chargé d’Affaires to The Great Colombia, Richard Clough Anderson, Jr.; Whereas, on October 3, 1824, the United States and Colombia signed their first commercial agreement, the Anderson Gual Treaty, which entered into force in May 1825; Whereas, in 1943, during World War II, Colombia declared war on the Axis Powers, fighting in cooperation with the United States and the Allies; Whereas Colombia was one of the 51 nations to participate in the San Francisco Conference in 1945, agreeing upon the Charter of the United Nations; Whereas, in 1947, during the Ninth International Conference of American States meeting in Bogotá, Colombia, 21 countries, including the United States and Colombia, adopted the Charter of the Organization of American States, the American Treaty on Pacific Settlement, and the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man; Whereas, from 1950 to 1954, Colombia was the only country from Latin America that sent Armed Forces to South Korea to join the United Nations effort against North Korea; Whereas, on December 4, 1991, the United States enacted the Andean Trade Preference Act and on October 31, 2002, the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, granting duty-free access to a wide range of exports from Colombia and other Andean countries, with the objective of promoting commercial relations and combating illicit narcotics production and trafficking; Whereas, in 2000, the United States and Colombia launched Plan Colombia, a transformational security and economic development initiative that reduced crime, narcotics trafficking, and violence and strengthened state capacity in Colombia; Whereas, in April 2012, the United States and Colombia launched the United States-Colombia Action Plan on Regional Security Cooperation, using the lessons learned from Plan Colombia to counter the proliferation of transnational criminal organizations throughout the Western Hemisphere; Whereas, on May 15, 2012, the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement entered into force, which expanded commercial ties, economic growth, and employment opportunities in both the United States and Colombia; Whereas the United States is Colombia’s leading trade partner; Whereas, on June 25, 2013, Colombia signed an agreement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on security cooperation and information sharing and in May 2018, became its first and only global partner country in Latin America; Whereas, since 2018, Colombia and the United States have led the Orion International Naval Campaign to combat maritime narcotics trafficking and the jointly led campaign has strengthened the narcotics interdiction capabilities of 38 countries and 88 institutions, including in northern Central America; Whereas, on April 28, 2020, Colombia became the 37th member and 3d country in Latin America to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; Whereas Colombia is one of the United States most consistent and reliable allies through its support for shared diplomatic and security objectives; Whereas Colombians and Colombian Americans residing in the United States have greatly contributed to enriching the social, cultural, economic, and scientific landscape of the United States and helped further strengthen the ties between the United States and Colombia; Whereas during an official visit by President Ivan Duque to the White House on March 10, 2022, President Biden referred to Colombia as the linchpin Colombia is the keystone to our shared efforts to build a hemisphere that is prosperous, secure, and democratic Whereas during that trip, the United States announced it would designate Colombia as a major non-NATO ally: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) celebrates the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Colombia; (2) recognizes the critical role that Colombia plays in promoting stability and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere; (3) recognizes the vital strategic alliance between the United States and Colombia, built on a shared commitment to democracy; (4) celebrates the contributions made by Colombians and Colombian Americans to the United States; (5) reaffirms the steadfast support of the Government and people of the United States for the people of Colombia in their pursuit of peace, stability, and prosperity; and (6) encourages strengthening cooperation with Colombia in areas such as technology, education, energy transition, and nearshoring, as well as in joint efforts toward the protection of democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

Summary: This resolution celebrates the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Colombia. The resolution recognizes the vital strategic alliance between the United States and Colombia, built on a shared commitment to democracy. The resolution also celebrates the contributions made by Colombians and Colombian Americans to the United States.