US, Colombia seal critical minerals, nuclear pacts
Washington, Sep 9 (IANS) The United States and Colombia have signed two arrangements aimed at strengthening critical-minerals supply chains and expanding civil nuclear cooperation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Colombian Foreign Minister Omar Bula signed the arrangements in Barranquilla on Tuesday during Rubio’s visit to Colombia, according to the US State Department.
The State Department said the initiatives were intended to reinvigorate the more than 200-year partnership between the two countries and restore it as a central pillar of hemispheric security and economic cooperation.
Under the critical-minerals framework, the two governments will work to build secure, diversified and fair supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths.
They committed to mobilising government and private-sector support to identify and finance mining and processing projects within six months. The available mechanisms could include guarantees, loans, equity investments, insurance, regulatory assistance and arrangements to purchase future production.
The framework also calls for streamlined permitting and market-protective pricing tools, including price floors. It provides for national security reviews of critical-mineral asset sales, investment in mineral-recycling technology and cooperation on geological mapping.
The civil nuclear memorandum establishes a bilateral framework for strategic cooperation as Colombia considers deploying nuclear power to strengthen its energy security.
The cooperation will be based on Colombia’s obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and safeguards administered by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
It will also explore US nuclear technologies, including advanced and small modular reactors, as well as American fuel, equipment and services.
Cooperation could extend beyond electricity generation to research reactors, radioisotopes, nuclear medicine, agriculture and waste management. Both governments committed to maintaining high standards of safety, security and non-proliferation.
Before leaving Florida, Rubio described the journey to Colombia, Peru and Ecuador as part of a broader US effort to strengthen relationships in the region.
“So this is an important trip, obviously. We’re going to go visit three countries strongly aligned with the United States,” Rubio told reporters at Homestead Air Reserve Base. “We have a lot of common interests with them, both taking on regional transnational criminal terrorism and also economic engagements.”
Rubio said Washington hoped to conclude trade agreements with all three countries “in the foreseeable future”.
He presented the trip as part of a wider shift towards closer cooperation between the United States and governments in the region.
“So I think it’s part of a trend that you’re seeing in the Western Hemisphere of alignment with the US and US interests,” Rubio said.
Rubio said the visit also supported a National Security Strategy priority of strengthening the US presence in the Western Hemisphere. He described Colombia as a longstanding partner and said Ecuador was one of Washington’s closest regional security partners, with scope for greater economic cooperation.
The secretary said he also planned to engage Peru following its recent period of political turmoil. His three-country tour combines discussions on security, transnational crime and trade with Washington’s wider effort to expand its economic influence across the region.
–IANS
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