Colombian president asks Rubio to temporarily suspend tariffs on country’s goods

De La Espriella said he raised the issue during a “highly fruitful” phone conversation with Rubio and that a formal procedure must be completed before the tariffs can be suspended.

"I reiterated my request for the temporary suspension of tariffs affecting Colombian products. A procedure must be completed to achieve this, and there is full willingness on the part of the United States Government to move forward with that goal," he said on the US social media platform X.

De La Espriella said he had instructed Commerce Minister Mauricio Gomez to travel to Washington on Tuesday to take charge of the negotiations and work toward securing the temporary tariff suspension.

The request comes as the US continues to provide assistance to Colombia following a devastating earthquake on Aug. 10. De La Espriella thanked Rubio for US economic and humanitarian assistance as well as search-and-rescue support.

The State Department confirmed that Rubio spoke with De La Espriella on Tuesday, saying the conversation focused on continued US support for Colombians affected by the earthquake.

“The United States has provided $26.5 million in emergency humanitarian assistance, deployed search and rescue teams, and provided C-130 airlift flights to help Colombia’s recovery,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott.