Blinken to visit Colombia, Chile, and Peru next week 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit Colombia, Chile, and Peru next week, the State Department announced on Friday. 

Blinken plans to visit Colombia from October 3-4, where he plans to meet with President Gustavo Petro, Vice President Francia Márquez, and Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva. 

“Secretary Blinken’s meetings will focus on our shared priorities of supporting strong democratic governments and respect for human rights throughout the Western Hemisphere, tackling the climate crisis, supporting regional efforts to address irregular migration, and implementing a holistic approach to counter narcotics trafficking,” the State Department said. 

Additionally, Blinken will address the 2016 Peace Accord and reiterate the U.S. support of Colombia’s Temporary Protected Status policy for Venezuelan migrants. 

On October 5, Blinken will travel to Chile to meet with President Gabriel Boric and Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejola to “reaffirm U.S. support for democratic governance, bilateral opportunities for trade and investment, regional security and human rights, regional migration management, and climate change mitigation.”

In Chile, Blinken will also visit the National Electric Coordinator, where U.S. companies are helping expand reliance on renewable energy sources. 

On October 6, Blinken plans to head to Lima, Peru to lead the U.S. delegation at the General Assembly of the Organization of the American States (OAS). 

“He will chair the Summit Implementation Review Group, a ministerial-level meeting, to discuss implementation of commitments from the Ninth Summit of the Americas and reaffirm the important role of the OAS in advancing democracy, human rights, sustainable development, and security cooperation throughout the Western Hemisphere,” the state department added.