Rubio heads to Latin America for talks on drug trafficking

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Latin America next week, visiting Ecuador and meeting the newly elected presidents of Colombia and Peru on his first trips to those two countries as America’s top diplomat, the State Department said on September 4.

Rubio, who has made four previous trips to Latin America and the Caribbean as secretary of state, will travel from September 8 to 10, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

He is scheduled to meet Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on August 7, to discuss US support for Colombia’s earthquake response.

A magnitude of the earthquake struck Colombia three days after de la Espriella was sworn in, killing about 300 people, injuring thousands and causing damage across western and central parts of the country.

Rubio will also meet Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori, who was inaugurated on July 28, and Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, whom he previously met during a visit to Ecuador in 2025.

The Latin American trip will also address drug trafficking and trade, the State Department said.

The statement did not mention neighbouring Venezuela, where the United States has become deeply involved since capturing former President Nicolas Maduro in a January military raid and bringing him to the US to face drug-trafficking charges.

By Aghakazim Guliyev