Overview
- EU and CELAC delegations convened in Santa Marta to discuss multilateral cooperation, economic ties, and responses to organized crime, corruption, and trafficking.
- Only nine heads of state or government attended, with Germany’s Friedrich Merz and France’s Emmanuel Macron canceling, and Ursula von der Leyen represented by EU foreign chief Kaja Kallas.
- Germany is represented by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who signaled readiness to work with regional partners on security coordination, support for Haiti, and Colombia’s peace process.
- On arrival, Kaja Kallas stated that force is legitimate only in self‑defense or under a UN Security Council resolution.
- Proceedings are dominated by US maritime operations targeting suspected drug boats and the deployment of warships, with reporting citing 18 sinkings and at least 69 civilian deaths in two months and a pledge by Brazil’s Lula to raise Venezuela and the US presence.