U.S. secretary of state to travel to Colombia, Chile, Peru next week

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to three countries in Latin America next week, the State Department announced on Friday.

Blinken will depart for the region on Monday with an initial stop in Colombia where he will meet with President Gustavo Petro, Vice President Francia Marquez, and Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva, spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

The meetings "will focus on our shared priorities of supporting strong democratic governments and respect for human rights throughout the Western Hemisphere, tackling the climate crisis, supporting regional efforts to address irregular migration, and implementing a holistic approach to counter narcotics trafficking," Price said in a statement.

The top diplomat will then travel to Chile to meet with President Gabriel Boric and Foreign Minister Antonia Urrejol to "reaffirm U.S. support for democratic governance, bilateral opportunities for trade and investment, regional security and human rights, regional migration management, and climate change mitigation."

Blinken will also meet with Chile's National Electric Coordinator, an agency with whom U.S. companies partner to bolster the Latin American nation's use of renewable energies, according to the State Department.

In Peru, beginning on Oct. 6, Blinken will lead a U.S. delegation at the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), during which he will "underscore the U.S. commitment to the OAS."

During the meeting, Blinken will chair the Summit Implementation Review Group, a ministerial-level meeting, "to discuss implementation of commitments from the Ninth Summit of the Americas and reaffirm the important role of the OAS in advancing democracy, human rights, sustainable development, and security cooperation throughout the" region, Price said.