Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived in Washington to begin an official state visit that includes a planned meeting with President Donald Trump on Tuesday at the White House.
The visit comes after a year marked by tensions between the two governments, including disagreements over migration, drug trafficking and regional policy, as well as verbal exchanges between the two presidents.
"The president is carrying out an official agenda in Washington, D.C., aimed at strengthening international cooperation, bilateral political dialogue, and academic and community meetings, in defense of Colombia's interests and institutional relations with the United States," the South American country's presidency reported on its social media accounts.
Before starting the trip, Petro met with the head of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, John McNamara, and said he was beginning an "intense communication effort with the U.S. government," according to a post on his X account.
The Colombian president has described the meeting with Trump as "a key, fundamental and decisive meeting," and said it will allow him to explain directly to U.S. authorities the progress his government has made in the fight against drug trafficking.
