Colombia, U.S. vow to "relaunch" wide-range cooperation

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg agreed Monday to "re-launch" bilateral cooperation in a wide range of issues.

It is the moment to re-launch bilateral ties and cooperation on topics related to energy, environment, science and technology, education, democracy and human rights, Santos and Steinberg told a press conference after the meeting.

Steinberg said Washington expects to work with Bogota under the framework of the United Nations Security Council and boost bilateral relations. "This is a visit we consider very important, because it is the beginning of replanting bilateral ties into real strategic partners."

"This is not only the opportunity to improve the ties between Colombia and the United States, but also within the region," he added.

"As we continue with this new dialogue, we will continue with the fight against drugs," Steinberg said, referring to Colombia's tough measures against drug trafficking.

Last week, Santos and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama announced during the United Nations General Assembly the "relaunch" of bilateral relations to tackle security and drug trafficking issues.

Source: Xinhua