Laura Sarabia advocates maintaining a "frank and constructive" dialogue with the U.S.

Resigning Foreign Minister Laura Sarabia asserted this Friday that Colombia and the United States must maintain a "frank and constructive" dialogue , after Washington and Bogotá recalled their respective heads of mission.

" We must continue to invest in a close relationship, with mutual respect, with permanent, frank and constructive dialogue. Because when two peoples recognize each other as allies—not out of convenience, but out of conviction—they can build a future together ," Sarabia stated on his X account . See more: President Petro's security is reinforced in the face of 'latent threats,' according to the Ministry of Defense.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urgently summoned John McNamara, head of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Bogotá, yesterday following unfounded allegations by Colombian President Gustavo Petro about alleged U.S. support for a conspiracy by his former foreign minister, Álvaro Leyva, to oust him from power.

In response, Petro recalled his ambassador in Washington, Daniel García-Peña, to report on the developments in the agenda with the United States, the Andean country's main trading partner.

See more: Colombia responds: President Petro calls his ambassador to the US for consultations. Sarabia, who yesterday submitted his resignation due to differences with decisions made by the Petro government, stated that in Colombia's relationship with the United States " there is more than treaties " because there are strong ties between the two peoples and " for that reason, it is not just about diplomatic relations ."

" There are millions of families separated by distance, but united by love. There are students who dream of a scholarship, farmers who want to sell their coffee with dignity, mothers waiting for a call from Miami or New York. There are dreams that cross borders. These are about people. About real lives. About shared hopes ," added the outgoing chancellor, who is in Prague where she inaugurated the new Colombian embassy in the Czech Republic today.

See more: Why Petro accuses the 'far right' of wanting to break relations with the U.S.

The recall of McNamara, the acting Chargé d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, because there is still no permanent ambassador, is the second crisis in bilateral relations this year.

The first was on January 26, when Petro refused to allow planes carrying citizens deported by the U.S. to enter the country, claiming they were not receiving adequate treatment. See more: The United States withdraws visas from officials close to President Petro

Following that decision, US President Donald Trump responded by imposing 25% tariffs on all Colombian products , but that same day, diplomats from both countries reached an agreement to ease bilateral tensions.

Amid the new diplomatic crisis, Colombian presidential chief of staff Alfredo Saade said yesterday that the United States has canceled visas for government officials who served in the demobilized M-19 guerrilla group, which Petro also joined. See more: Colombia will once again be a member of the FAO Council after 30 years.

" I understand that they initiated a process with some people who were part of the M-19 group, which legally entered civilian life and was part of the creation of the Colombian National Constitution (in 1991) ," Saade said in an interview with W Radio.

EFE