United Kingdom and Colombia

Relations were long and important between England and Colombia. Not always friendly as their pirates and buccaneers surrounded our coasts in colonial times. Facing Cartagena, they suffered the largest military defeat in the Americas at the hands of Blas de Lezo in the 18th century. Already in the next century, the British capital and expeditions were decisive in the victory of Bolivar’s forces over the Spanish crown, which made possible our independence.

Since then, relations have been very close both politically and commercially. Colombia did not denounce the United Kingdom internationally for its return of the Falkland Islands in 1982. In return, this country has increased its foreign investment in our country, reaching first place just over a decade ago.

But circumstances have changed, as have their views. In the United Kingdom, the turning point was the vote for Brexit in 2016, which excluded the country from the world’s most important trading bloc, from January 31, 2020, a few days before Covid reached Europe. Economically, the results were not encouraging.

Among the G7 economies (USA, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the UK), only the latter has seen a negative development in its GDP since the start of the pandemic.

In terms of national cohesion, the effects of Brexit have been particularly felt in Scotland and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, the majority against Brexit was overwhelming, giving pro-independence rulers wings to say they were being removed from the EU against their will and interests. In Northern Ireland, the open border with Ireland imposed controls on exchange with the United Kingdom, being the same country.

It also begins to entice Northern Irishmen, despite their religious differences, to belong to a country, Ireland, which is already much richer than England in terms of per capita GDP, and a full member of the European Union.

All of this is important because the UK is a historic global player, which, with all its edges from past imperialism, has successfully built global stability in recent decades. The world needs you to thrive and find a way to grow again. We hope they will review their agreement with the European Union, to get as close as possible to the level of freedom of exchange that existed before Brexit.

Colombia also needs a revitalized UK, not only because it is an important trading partner and because of the scale of its foreign direct investment, but also because of its generous cooperation in defense advice, transportation, and scholarships for students, among others. Recently, your ambassador to Colombia has expressed a particular interest in supporting peace processes in the country.

Fortunately, Britain’s spirit is quite adaptable and indomitable. When then Prime Minister Liz Truss spooked the markets with a debt-based budget, her party did not blink an eye to oust and replace her with Rishi Sunak, the first British Indian leader.

London remains the financial center of Europe above Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. The submarine nuclear deterrent and the two aircraft carriers make up the second largest naval component in NATO, after the United States.

And this year, its economic growth rate is expected to be 4.4% according to The Economist, the highest rate in the G-7 and above the eurozone. We will then have the United Kingdom for a long time, for the good of humanity and of course for the good of Colombia as well.