Colombian President calls for withdrawal from NATO and joining the "army of light"

Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized NATO's policy and called for an end to cooperation with the alliance. He stated this during a speech at the extraordinary conference of the Hague Group countries on Gaza in Bogota. The broadcast was conducted by TeleSUR TV channel.

"We must withdraw from NATO. There is no other way," Petro said, proposing to create an alternative international union, which he called the "army of light."

According to the President, Colombia should not be involved in the supply of resources that are used for military purposes. He recalled that the country is one of the five largest coal exporters in the world and part of the supplies goes to Israel.

"Colombian coal should not turn into bombs that kill children," he said.

At the end of his speech, Petro called for international solidarity and condemnation of Nazism.

"We have to tell Europe that if it wants to be with Latin America or with Africa, it has to stop helping the Nazis."

According to information posted on the NATO website, in 2017 Colombia became one of the global partners of the Alliance and its first Latin American partner. NATO's Global Partnership Agreement with Colombia was signed in Brussels in May 2018.

In May 2022, former US President Joe Biden signed a decree granting Colombia the status of a major state ally outside NATO. This status gives the recipient the opportunity to purchase various types of weapons and participate in joint defense activities. At the same time, this status does not oblige the United States to provide security guarantees to an ally.