Colombia and the United States reached an agreement on Thursday to strengthen their cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. The two countries hope to achieve a 50 percent reduction in cocaine production and cultivation of its raw material coca by 2023.

The US provides military and economic aid to Colombia to fight the illegal drug industry. Between 2000 and 2015, the South American nation received about $10 billion for military and social programs.

Watch video 01:07 Share Colombia's fight against cocaine Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/1Jau3 Colombia's fight against cocaine

The fresh agreement was made in the VII High-Level Dialogue, an ongoing bilateral meeting between the two nations. US Under Secretary of Political Affairs Thomas Shannon and Colombian Minister of Exterior, Maia Angela Holguin announced the bilateral pact as a five-year "comprehensive anti-narcotics strategy" to reduce cocaine production and coca cultivation.

Read more: Colombia's cocaine: Who will take charge now?

According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), production of cocaine in Colombia reached 910 metric tons by the end of 2016, while cultivation of coca leaf covered 188,000 hectares. The coca leaf is the main raw material in the illicit drug. It is turned into cocaine using various chemicals and fertilizers.

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Upon taking office, President Donald Trump had urged Colombia to do "everything possible" to eliminate drug trafficking and had warned of "bilateral problems" if the South American nation did not reduce the illicit cultivation of coca.

However, Thomas Shannon delivered a more positive message from Trump during Thursday's bilateral meeting. The American president said that the US is "Colombia's best friend and ally."

Shannon did not provide details on how the 5-year reduction goal would be achieved, but he praised the new agreement, saying that both countries "continue to unite" and that with this cooperation they could "one day make Colombia a drug-free country."

The United States also pledged to increase academic exchanges between the two countries, to help Colombia on environmental and human rights issues, and to deepen their relationship in the energy sector.

Read more: Medellin takes victims' side as 'narco tours' bring tourists

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists River of seven colors Within La Macarena National Park flows Cano Cristales, known as the river of seven colors. Its different shades of blue, red, green, pink and black are caused by the great quantity of aquatic plants, particularly the red Macarenia clavigera. From July to November the extreme clarity of the water — a result of low sediment levels — lets the colors glow.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists From landmines to ecotourism The Serrania de la Macarena mountain range was one of the strongholds of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebel group. Now the community is starting up a successful ecotourism industry with the help of government agencies. Voluntary projects to remove landmines and manually eradicate cocaine plantations are taking place in parts of the park.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Watery path For Prussian explorer Alexander von Humboldt, the Maypures stream of Tuparro National Park was the eighth wonder of the world. Tuparro is part of the Orinoco region, known for an ecosystem of flooded and non-flooded savannas. Located near the Venezuelan border, the FARC sometimes used it as a pathway into the neighboring country. People now come here to go canoeing, hiking and bird watching.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists UNESCO-recognized beauty In 1960, Cueva de los Guacharos became Colombia's first Natural National Park. It's part of the Cinturon Andino natural reserve, declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1979.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Home to oilbirds Guacharos, also known as oilbirds, are pigeon-like birds that live in the depths of the caves and go out at night to hunt food. Colombian government agency National Parks is working with the local community to improve ecotourism to the Guacharos now that the conflict with the FARC is over.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Whale watching On the Pacific coast, the dark-colored rainforests on the island of Gorgona merge into the sea. From June to October, humpback whales pass close to its beaches as they make their way south. In 1959, the government built a now-abandoned high-security prison here.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Site for scuba diving In November 2014, while peace talks were ongoing, members of the FARC took over Gorgona Island. Six of the soldiers that guarded the island were wounded, and one was killed. Today, the park offers various ecotourism activities, the most popular being scuba diving.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Home to the ELN For centuries, the U'wa indigenous people have lived among the snowy peaks of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range in Colombia's Andes Mountains. This area is also home to El Cocuy National Park, with peaks as high as 5,300 meters (17,300 feet). The ELN guerrilla group had a presence in the park, but like the FARC, the ELN recently agreed to a ceasefire deal with the government.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Climbers' paradise El Cocuy National Park is a haven for mountain climbers, the park's ecotourism activities have helped the development of local communities.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Hiking and whale watching Utria National Park is known for a narrow inlet — the Ensenada de Utria — where humpback whales mate and spend some time before continuing their journey south. Utria is located in the Choco region by the Pacific Ocean. Even though there has been sporadic presence of the ELN, the park, together with the local indigenous and Afro communities, offers hiking and whale watching.

Colombia's parks: From FARC to tourists Tourism boost Colombia's peace deal may only be a year old, but ceasefires broadly held during the negotiations. And the impact of peace is already reflected in visitor numbers to parks around the country. Compared to 2015, the number of visitors rose by 61 percent in 2016. And in the first half of 2017, the country's parks registered another bump of 8.6 percent, compared to the same period last year. Author: Cristina Esguerra



jcg/ (Reuters, dpa, EFE)

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