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Colombia: President-elect announces first name of cabinet minister

Colombian Social Democrat President-elect Gustavo Petro – the first left-wing politician to take office in the country on August 7 – named Alvaro Leiva his future foreign minister at the weekend.

This is the first name of a minister of his government announced by Mr. Petros.

Mr Leiva, a 79-year-old Colombian political veteran, is well known in his home country for his work as president of several different factions: he was the negotiator who handled peace talks with several armed groups, including the 19th Movement. April (Movimiento 19 de Abril, M-19), in whose ranks Gustavo Petro fought in his youth.

He took an active part in the talks that led to the historic peace agreement with the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

“Alvaro Leiva Duran will be our foreign minister. He will be the foreign minister of peace,” Petros said via Twitter. “Colombia will contribute to the world every effort to overcome the climate crisis, and we expect from the world every effort to overcome the endemic violence in our country.”

Gustavo Petro wants to drastically change his country’s international relations, shifting the focus from the war on drugs to the fight against climate change. If it succeeds, it will be a fundamental change, especially with regard to bilateral relations with Colombia’s key ally, the United States.

The former senator served as energy minister to Conservative President Belisario Betancourt. He was elected President of Colombia in the second round of elections, which took place on June 19.

SOURCE: AMPE

Source: Capital

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