Colombian Ambassador to the United States, Gabriel Silva, at NDN

On Monday, March 14, NDN & New Policy Institute hosted Ambassador Gabriel Silva of Colombia as part of our monthly Latin America Policy Forum series.  The Ambassador opened the speech by touching on Colombia’s increasing interest in acting as a constructive player in unifying the region and promoting engagement to heal old wounds. Mr. Silva called for the US and Latin American countries to sit down as a community, as a hemisphere. 

As expected, Ambassador Silva addressed the importance of the pending US-Colombia free trade agreement and explained it was not a “list in review but a dialogue that is just beginning.” Moreover, he assured that Colombia shares the goals and values of the US and that President Santos had enacted reforms to protect humans rights as well as provide relief to victims of violence.  The NDN Latin America Policy Initiative is proud of to have had the privilege of hosting such a successful event, and we plan to continue collaborating with the Colombian community and its Embassy here in Washington DC.