On June 19, 1822, the United States and Colombia formally established diplomatic relations. On that day, President James Monroe accredited Colombian Manuel Torres as the first Chargé d'Affaires of a Latin American country to the United States, assuring him of support for the "welfare and success of his country." Today, two hundred years later, Colombia remains one of the United States' closest allies.

To this day, the two countries share a common purpose in empowering their democracies to find answers to the most challenging problems of our time. This deep partnership goes far beyond bilateral issues and extends to the trade, security, social, environmental and humanitarian fronts.