哥伦比亚总统桑托斯星期五宣布，哥伦比亚下星期将正式成为北约的第一个拉丁美洲的“全球伙伴”。
桑托斯总统在总统府电视和推特实况转播的讲话中说：“我们下星期在布鲁塞尔完成所有程序。哥伦比亚成为北约全球伙伴这件事十分重要。我们将是拉丁美洲唯一有此殊荣的国家。”
因为与“哥伦比亚革命武装力量”实现和平而获得2016年诺贝尔和平奖提名的桑托斯总统说，这将改善哥伦比亚在全世界的形象。
哥伦比亚政府与“哥伦比亚革命武装力量”签署和平协议之后，2017年5月与北约达成成为全球伙伴的协议。原“哥伦比亚革命武装力量”已转型为一个新的政党。
北约网站上发表的声明说，北约与哥伦比亚的合作包括网络安全、海上安全、反恐以及打击有组织犯罪，并对哥伦比亚军队进行能力建设。
除哥伦比亚外，目前北约的全球伙伴有阿富汗、澳大利亚、伊拉克、日本、韩国、蒙古、新西兰和巴基斯坦。
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced Friday that his country will formally become NATO’s first Latin American “global partner,” beginning next week.
In a televised address from the presidential Narino Palace and on Twitter, Santos said: “We will formalize in Brussels next week – and this is very important – the entry of Colombia into NATO in the category of global partner. We will be the only country in Latin America with this privilege.”
Santos, the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who made peace with FARC rebels, said the move would improve Colombia’s image on the world stage.
Colombia and NATO reached a partnership deal in May 2017 following the conclusion of the peace accord with FARC, now a political party.
Areas of cooperation include cyber security, maritime security, terrorism and its links to organized crime, and building the capacities and capabilities of the Colombian armed forces, according to a statement posted on NATO’s website.
In addition to Colombia, NATO lists Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand and Pakistan as “partners across the globe” or simply “global partners.”