The Trump administration canceled a planned meeting between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, according to a report. The meeting, scheduled on the sidelines of UN events in New York, was scrapped after the State Department strongly objected to it.
The cancellation reportedly follows a series of problematic statements and behavior by Petro, including a tweet on Sunday that read 'Heil Hitler' in response to an op-ed supporting a right-wing candidate. Colombian officials interpreted the State Department's stance as a threat of arrest if the meeting proceeded. State Department officials stressed that a visa is 'a privilege, not a right.'
As The Zioneer reported on June 10, Colombia's congressional disciplinary committee had suspended Petro pending an election-interference investigation, set to last until June 21. This bilateral tension adds to Petro's mounting diplomatic and domestic troubles.
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