Colombian President Gustavo Petro met on Thursday in Bogotá with the head of the United States mission, John T. McNamara, amid renewed difficulties in their bilateral relations. The meeting took place at Casa de Nariño, the executive headquarters, according to the Presidency on its X account, without giving details about the matters discussed.

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McNamara, who is the chargé d’affaires of the U.S. in Colombia while waiting for the new ambassador, had met Wednesday with Acting Foreign Minister Yolanda Villavicencio to address strategic issues of the bilateral agenda.

In that meeting, both parties reaffirmed “the commitment of both governments to maintaining an open and constant dialogue, based on respect and mutual benefit.”

Diplomatic relations between the two countries have faced several turmoils this year due to differences regarding migration policy and the deportation of Colombians from the United States, as well as interference in the justice affairs of the Andean country.

The most recent incident occurred last Tuesday, when Petro asked the U.S. government “not to interfere in the justice” of Colombia, in response to statements by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who criticized the guilty verdict for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal proceedings against former far-right President Álvaro Uribe (2002–2010).

“Uribe’s only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland. The weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent.,” Rubio alleged on his X account.

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