Ghana.
Haiti.
Hungary.
Malaysia.
The reform also includes the closure of at least 15 embassies and consulates, the unification of diplomatic representations, and a comprehensive audit of the Foreign Ministry to reduce public spending
Ghana.
Haiti.
Hungary.
Malaysia.
In an unprecedented move to restore the fiscal order and national sovereignty, the elected president Abelardo de la Espriella has announced a profound restructuring of the foreign service that will take effect after his inauguration on August 7.
This measure aims to dismantle the heavy bureaucratic structure inherited from the administration of Gustavo Petro, which was characterized by prioritizing ideological affinities over administrative efficiency. The central objective of this optimization process is to redirect public spending towards fundamental pillars such as security, health, education, and infrastructure.
De la Espriella has been clear in defining the new direction of the country: “Colombia needs a diplomacy that is modern, efficient, and at the service of national interests, not of politics and bureaucracy. We cannot maintain such an expensive structure that does not produce concrete results for the country”.
Under this premise, foreign policy will cease to be a refuge for political allies and will become a “tool to open markets, attract investment, generate jobs, and defend Colombia's interests worldwide”.
In the geopolitical arena, the change in direction is radical and brave. While the outgoing government sought rapprochement with questionable regimes, Abelardo de la Espriella has decided to suspend the opening of the embassy in Palestine and, in an act of coherence with the democratic values of the West, reopen the embassy of Colombia in Jerusalem.
Furthermore, the elected president has made it clear that there will be no room for dialogue with oppressors: “In my government, there will be no ties with tyrannies”, he stated while announcing the break of relations with Cuba and Nicaragua.
The first phase of this shock plan includes the definitive closure of 14 embassies in countries where representation does not justify the cost to the taxpayer, many of them close to the orbit of global communism:
Algeria.
Azerbaijan.
Barbados.
Cuba.
Czech Republic.
Ethiopia.
Nicaragua.
Romania.
Senegal.
South Africa.
In addition to these offices, the elimination of around 15 consulates will be ordered. To further optimize the budget, there will be a unification of diplomatic missions in key capitals. For example, in Paris, the embassy in France and the mission to Unesco will merge into one.
The same will happen in Rome, where the embassy in Italy and the representation to the FAO will fall under the command of a single ambassador. The elected president has emphasized that “one ambassador will fulfill and exercise all those representations in the same country”.
This massive resource saving is not an end in itself, but a means to strengthen the State. De la Espriella explained that: “Every peso we save in bureaucracy will be a peso we can invest in security, health, education, infrastructure, and, above all, opportunities for the poorest”.
As part of a smart commercial expansion strategy, the opening of a new representation in Nigeria was also announced to reorganize national presence in Africa with criteria of profitability and not ideology.
Finally, the new government will not stop at these initial announcements. During the first 100 days of management, a thorough technical audit of the entire remaining diplomatic network will be carried out.
“We will determine whether all those embassies that still exist will be kept. We will reorganize them, integrate them, which is what corresponds, with efficiency criteria and always in defense of national interest”, concluded the elected president, marking the end of the era of Petro's wastefulness and the beginning of the Miracle Homeland.
