Colombian president says country must cut relations with NATO
(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called for his country to cut ties with NATO, accusing the alliance's leadership of supporting what he describes as the genocide of Palestinians by Israel. Speaking at a pro-Palestinian international conference in Bogota, Petro questioned Colombia’s involvement with the Western military bloc, stating, “If NATO’s leaders support genocide, why are we part of it?”
Colombia, historically aligned with the United States, became NATO’s first global partner in Latin America in 2017. However, since taking office in 2022, Petro — the country's first leftist president — has shifted Colombia’s foreign policy. He previously cut diplomatic ties with Israel in response to its military actions in Gaza, which he strongly condemns.
During the conference, Petro criticized NATO as a remnant of the Cold War and claimed that countries like Colombia are treated as symbolic participants rather than equal partners. He called for the creation of a new global military alliance grounded in peace and human rights, contrasting what he labeled “armies of darkness” with what he envisions as “armies of light.”
The Bogota conference brought together representatives from about a dozen Global South nations, who issued a joint statement urging legal and economic measures against Israel. Proposals included an arms embargo, sanctions, limits on dual-use goods, and refusal to allow ships carrying supplies for Israeli forces to dock.
Petro’s stance represents a sharp departure from Colombia’s traditionally close relationship with Israel. His criticism echoes broader concerns over Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, launched after a deadly Hamas-led incursion in October 2023. An independent study recently estimated nearly 84,000 deaths in Gaza by early 2025. Israel has since proposed relocating civilians to a so-called “humanitarian city,” which critics argue is merely a form of forced segregation.
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