Secretary of State Marco Rubio is betting he can advance the fight against narcoterrorism in Latin America after a string of right-wing victories in the region.
During his trip this week, Rubio will sit down with the new government in Colombia, whose president focused on countering narcoterrorists during his campaign; meet with Ecuador’s president, who has assisted US military operations against drug networks; and meet with the new government in Peru.
Rubio will also discuss US support for the response to last month’s earthquake in Colombia, as well as the prospect of “deeper commercial relationships” with the region, a State Department spokesperson said.
Rubio’s trip has one glaring hole: He won’t be visiting Venezuela.
“We’ll get there eventually,” he told reporters, describing this visit as “a condensed week” intentionally focused on deepening relationships with three Western Hemisphere countries whose new governments are slated to be more aligned with the US.