Colombia's President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella plans to close embassies in Cuba and Nicaragua, restore diplomatic relations with the United States and Israel, and review the country's participation in international organizations. Photo by Mauricio Duenas Castaneda/EPA
July 10 (UPI) -- The incoming Colombian government announced a shift in its foreign policy that will include closing embassies in Cuba and Nicaragua, restoring diplomatic relations with the United States and Israel, and reviewing the country's participation in international organizations.
Omar Bula Escobar, the foreign minister-designate appointed by President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, said the new administration, which is to take office Aug. 7, will prioritize relations with countries that share "Western values," while maintaining a more pragmatic approach toward other nations.
The future foreign minister said Colombia will no longer maintain embassies in Cuba and Nicaragua because keeping diplomatic missions in governments he considers dictatorships amounts to legitimizing them.
"For me, an embassy in a dictatorship legitimizes the dictatorship," he said during an interview with Noticias Caracol.
