MADRID, 21 May. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Colombian Defense Minister, Diego Molano, visited the Pentagon this Friday to meet with the United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, within the framework of the designation of Colombia as an "important" ally outside NATO.

"I was pleased to welcome Minister Diego Molano here today and extend my congratulations on the designation of Colombia as an important non-NATO ally. We discussed how our partnership can promote regional and global security while maintaining high standards of transparency." and Human Rights," Austin said on his official Twitter profile.

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, made this appointment last April "in recognition of the importance of the relationship between the United States and Colombia and the crucial contributions of Colombia to regional and international security," according to a statement from the White House.

Molano and Austin have discussed cooperation between the United States and Colombia in energy matters, as well as the fight against illegal armed groups, cybernetics, climate change management and other cross-border threats, according to a statement from the US Department of Defense. .

During the meeting, which reaffirmed the "solid" relationship between the nations, both discussed other issues, such as the next conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas to be held in July.

"During my meeting with Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, we ratified our commitment to share knowledge on security and environmental protection through education and training," said the head of the Colombian Defense portfolio. .

Molano has also stressed that both the United States and Colombia continue to share the values ​​of defending democracy and respecting Human Rights and has told Austin that they will work together to "fight against drug traffickers, who are a threat to democracy, the environment and the population."

Austin, for his part, thanked Molano for "Colombia's condemnation of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the country's offer to provide humanitarian support to the Ukrainian people," as reported by the US Defense news portal .