During a meeting with Foreign Minister Malki, Columbian president reiterates support for Palestinian rights

BOGOTA, Thursday, September 14, 2023 (WAFA) - The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, today reiterated during a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Malki his country’s support for the legitimate right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their land.

In the meeting held at the presidential palace in the Colombian capital, Bogota, President Petro stressed the importance of applying international law without double standards and his rejection of the violations against the Palestinian people for decades without justice.

He pointed out the importance of strengthening economic and trade relations with the State of Palestine and establishing a working mechanism for this.

For his part, Malki handed the Colombian President a message from President Mahmoud Abbas thanking him for holding of a conference of ambassadors of the State of Palestine to Latin American and Caribbean states in his country and inviting him to visit Palestine.

Malki briefed President Petro on the latest developments in Palestine and the efforts exerted by the Palestinian leadership to confront Israeli plans to liquidate the Palestinian issue by creating facts on the ground that contradict with the international consensus.

He thanked Colombia for its position toward Palestine, which has had a pivotal shift since President Petro took office, and reflects his respect for international law and the right of peoples to self-determination without exception.

He stressed Palestine's commitment to developing Palestinian-Colombian relations in various fields while looking forward to signing four agreements during his current visit to Colombia with his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Levya, in various fields, which in turn will allow for more joint cooperation between the two countries.

Malki also welcomed President Petro's decision to close the innovation office opened by the former Colombian president in Jerusalem and called on Colombia to open an embassy in Palestine as soon as possible.

During the meeting, views were exchanged on a number of international and regional issues, and the two parties stressed the necessity of coordinating positions between the two countries to achieve the interests of the two countries and the two friendly peoples.