00:00We should not interfere in the politics of other countries.
00:04When former President Iván Duque was still in the Casa de Nariño,
00:08The United States held elections. Members of his party openly supported [the candidate] in Florida.
00:14Donald Trump, who was later defeated. The effects on Colombia were felt immediately.
00:20The Joe Biden administration came in with a cold attitude toward our country that cost us a
00:26Good weather to repair. The lesson of that mistake was not learned by his successor, former president Gustavo
00:32Petro. Shortly after taking office, he used his X account to interfere in processes
00:38electoral campaigns in different parts of the world and, yes, also to argue with Trump,
00:44By then he was back in the White House. The results were a cooling of relations.
00:50as well as the strained relations with neighboring countries like Peru and Ecuador. Now,
00:57President Abelardo de la Esprilla has fallen into the same trap.
01:02We first saw it with his undue interference in the Brazilian elections. After the victory in
01:08Flavio Bolsonaro's first round, the president of Esprilla celebrated the result on his X account.
01:14A few days later, with the second round of voting underway in that country, our leader agreed to be
01:21Interviewed by Bolsonaro on the Brazilian candidate's social media. The comments he made
01:27The Colombian president elevated Bolsonaro's candidacy in a kind of
01:32crusade against evil. While it is true that he is likely to be the next president of Brazil,
01:38Why is a public servant in our country interfering in this way in the affairs of a
01:44neighboring country? Does our historic alliance with the Brazilians depend on which political party is in power?
01:51power? The interventions continued. This week, María Elvira Salazar, a congresswoman from the Party
01:58A Republican from the United States posted a video in which President de la Esprilla
02:02She supports her candidacy for reelection in Florida. Salazar is threatened by a surprising
02:09A strong Democratic Party candidate in a state where policies toward Venezuela and Cuba are controversial.
02:16The White House hasn't been well received. Salazar may emerge victorious, but we have to go back.
02:22To the same question: What is a president of Colombia doing trying to influence the democracy of the
02:28United States? What happens if the Democratic Party regains control of Congress and doesn't
02:34Does he forget that the representative of all Colombians favored his opponents?
02:40The consequences were soon felt. Gregory Mix, a Democratic representative and member of the House of Representatives, was among those affected.
02:47The head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that the intervention of
02:53President de la Esprilla's appointment was already unacceptable, and the American people decide who represents them.
03:00The Chamber, not foreign leaders. He's right. That's why Colombia's international relations...
03:07They must be understood as a state policy that does not depend on the person who is in the House of
03:14Nariño. Support for our country has been constant under both Democratic and Republican presidencies.
03:21Precisely because of the good ties that have been built with both parties and because of the respect
03:27to the sovereignty of the Americans. We know that President de la Esprilla, as a private citizen,
03:33He made donations that benefited the Republican party. He was, of course, within his rights.
03:40But now that he is the nation's leader, he cannot forget that his commitment is to represent
03:47All Colombians. The Casa de Nariño is not meant to interfere in the politics of other countries.
03:54If you disagree with this editorial, please send your 500-word counter-editorial to
03:59elespectadoropinion.com
04:17All the best.
04:18Thanks for watching the video.
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