Colombia and NATO: An Evolving Relationship

English translation by Yenni Castro (Valestra Editorial)

At a time when international security issues are becoming increasingly relevant to Latin America, Colombia's cooperation with NATO takes on new significance. 

This also implies changes for the German Embassy in Bogotá, which, since the beginning of this year, took over the coordination of NATO member countries in Colombia, a function previously shared by the U.S. and the U.K., and which until now has received little public attention.

On the importance of this role and the prospects for cooperation between Colombia and NATO, Catalina Niño, coordinator of the Regional Center on Peace and Security, spoke with the Minister Counselor at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Colombia, Mr. Simon Herchen, and the Defense Attaché, Lieutenant Colonel Dirk Schurad.

The evolution of NATO from its inception to the present day

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a political and military alliance created on April 4, 1949, in the early days of the Cold War, to guarantee the collective defense of its members against possible aggression, as provided in the Washington Treaty (Article 5). Its creation responded to the interest of the US and Western European countries in establishing a common security system.

The founding countries were 12: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the United States, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Greece and Turkey became members in 1952; the Federal Republic of Germany in 1955; and Spain in 1982.

After the end of the Cold War, NATO began a process of enlargement towards Central and Eastern Europe: in 1999, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined; in 2004, seven more countries became members: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania. Subsequently, Albania and Croatia (2009), Montenegro (2017), North Macedonia (2020), Finland (2023), and Sweden (2024) joined. With these additions, NATO currently has 32 members. 

Since 2017, Colombia has maintained formal cooperation with NATO as a "global partner". It is the only country in Latin America with this type of link.

Catalina Niño: What does the new coordination role assumed by the German Embassy in Bogotá entail, and what are its main objectives?

Simon Herchen: NATO's Contact Point Embassies (CPEs) have been a valuable tool in supporting the Alliance's communications and public relations since the early 1990s. In each partner country, a NATO Allied embassy serves as a contact point and channel for disseminating information about the Alliance's role and policies. However, CPEs are not NATO diplomatic missions.

In addition to this role, the CPEs’ mandate also includes supporting the implementation of other agreed activities with partners. They also provide logistical support, political advice, and information on relevant developments in the host country, for example, in preparation for high-level NATO visits.

They also maintain regular contact with the embassies of other NATO member states in the host country to inform them about NATO's agenda and involve them in NATO-related activities and events.

Dirk Schurad: In our role as liaison embassy, which we will perform until the end of 2026, we seek to intensify our interaction with the Colombian citizenry and the Armed Forces on general issues, as well as to develop new channels of communication. It is also essential to establish close links with our bilateral security policy priorities, such as the peace process, challenges related to organized crime, the issue of "Women, Peace, and Security", institutional stability, climate change and security, as well as urgent areas of action such as cybersecurity and new disruptive technologies, especially drones.

C.N.: What are the essential differences between NATO membership and being a global partner?

D.S.: NATO is a political organization with three complementary core tasks: defense, crisis prevention and management, and cooperative security.

The main difference between NATO's 32 Allies and its 35 partner states lies in their contractual obligations and the commitments they entail. While NATO Allies are legally bound under international law to defend themselves against threats and attacks jointly ―the primary task agreed upon in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty― even by military means, the partner countries contribute to regional stability on a bilateral basis, mainly within the framework of the other two core tasks, without expecting or being obliged to provide military assistance.

This is achieved, for example, through military cooperation, joint military exercises, participation in peacekeeping operations, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief. 

S.H.: Partnership with NATO is a more flexible, equal-footing cooperation arrangement that can be tailored to individual interests and needs. The so-called Individually Tailored Partnership Programmes (ITPPs) are NATO's most important instrument for coordinating its cooperation with its partners. Each ITPP is designed, developed, and agreed upon individually and jointly. It describes all aspects of NATO's cooperation with a single partner within a strategic, goal-oriented framework, taking into consideration objectives for cooperation, partnership goals, and supporting activities.

In addition, many of NATO's global partner countries cannot legally join as members due to the geographic limitations of the NATO Treaty in its current form, as its preamble and Article 6 state that it applies to the Euro-Atlantic region. 

C.N.: What benefits and opportunities does cooperation with NATO represent, from your perspective, for Colombia's Armed Forces and defense policy?

D.S.: In today's complex security environment, NATO's relations with its partners around the world offer benefits for all involved. NATO's practical cooperation with its partners encompasses major global challenges such as cyber defense, maritime security, humanitarian aid, and disaster relief, proliferation prevention, defense science and technology, and the women, peace, and security agenda.

Some partners also participate in NATO military operations, while many benefit from NATO expertise in areas such as defense capacity building and military training. Allies and partners jointly determine cooperation priorities, as well as the depth and scope of such collaboration. It is a mutually beneficial relationship.

Specifically, for the Colombian Armed Forces, which for decades have focused on combating asymmetric, militarily organized criminal organizations with international networks, the alliance with NATO is not only an important catalyst for their own modernization and technological diversification, but also for a reorientation towards the core mission of national defense by conventional means. Other key aspects to consider in this context include standardization, common procedures and doctrine, and interoperability of armed forces.

S.H.: Strengthening cooperation with Colombia, currently NATO's only partner state in Latin America, is also in the Alliance's interest: the Colombian military forces have extensive experience in maritime security and the fight against organized crime. One example is Operation Orion, a multilateral anti-drug campaign coordinated by Colombia and involving numerous international actors, including many NATO allies and partner countries. Another example is demining. The Colombian Armed Forces have expertise in this area, which they share with allies and other partners at an accredited training center.

Political dialogue remains the key instrument for fostering regional understanding and knowledge sharing between Allies and their global partners. This broadens NATO's situational awareness beyond its immediate environment and helps partners understand NATO's positions and engage in political discussions on shared security challenges, which are no longer limited to geographic boundaries, such as in cyberspace.

C.N.: In an international context characterized by tensions and conflicts, what kind of commitments or margins of autonomy does the partnership with NATO envisage for Colombia?

S.H.: A partner does not have to share 100% of the Alliance's political orientation, but there must be a fundamental alignment with its core values: cooperative security, as a shared understanding of multilateral cooperation, and the preservation of the rules-based international order. They are committed to upholding far-reaching political principles: respect for the principles of international law, the United Nations Charter, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; a refusal to threaten or use force against other states; and respect for existing borders and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means. They also promote transparency in national defense planning to ensure democratic control over the armed forces.

However, the partners' commitment is based on the principle of voluntariness. Therefore, Colombia has no obligation to defend a NATO ally within the framework of the alliance, nor vice versa. Nor does NATO interfere in Colombia's foreign and security policy. Colombia, on the contrary, retains the freedom to adopt its own position in all international security matters, according to its priorities.

C.N.: In your opinion, how is the relationship with NATO perceived in Colombia: as an opportunity for strategic cooperation or rather as a foreign policy and defense challenge?

D.S.: In my opinion, the Colombian Armed Forces see their relationship with NATO as a clear opportunity for strategic cooperation. NATO is the world's most successful defense alliance, which has guaranteed peace and freedom in the Euro-Atlantic area for 76 years. The Alliance's standards of transparency and democratically controlled institutions, professionalism and interoperability of the armed forces, and respect for human rights and international law are exemplary. The Colombian Armed Forces see this as an opportunity to strengthen their operational capabilities and their institutions.

S.H.: Unfortunately, the public is not very familiar with NATO and Colombia's role as a global partner. Understandably, security policy discussions revolve around the internal conflict. Explaining mutual opportunities and benefits is one of our main communication tasks as a contact point embassy.