Colombia has formally become an official Partner nation of NATO. The announcement was officially made at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on May 31, 2018. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos travelled to NATO to mark the occasion, representing the first trip by a Latin American president to NATO headquarters.

Colombian Pres. Santos & NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg (Picture source: NATO)

NATO’s cooperation with Colombia has been developing steadily since 2013, when the Colombian Ministry of Defense and NATO signed an agreement for security in the exchange of classified information and cooperation. Colombia became a partner country in May 2017. NATO works with more than 40 partner countries around the world to promote international peace and security. With the agreement on May 31, Colombia will join NATO as a "global partner."

Colombian and NATO forces have already side-by-side off the Horn of Africa in 2015. Looking to future cooperation, President Santos and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg agreed that NATO and Colombia should work together in areas of mutual interest, including cyber defense, demining, and promoting the role of women in peace and security.
Colombia will also adopt NATO standards in transparency, and anti-corruption and fraud measures. Bogota has already adopted some measures toward this goal. For example, it was evaluated by Transparency International of the United Kingdom. Compared to 135 other countries, Colombia scored a C rating, placing in the third best group of seven.

The move also represents a shift for Colombia as it seeks to move away from combatting internal guerrilla groups toward a more international footing. Becoming a global partner to NATO enables Colombia to adopt international standards in government and military operations, which will enhance the government's ability to participate in international peacekeeping and other activities.