Deputy Secretary James Steinberg will begin an official visit to Colombia and Mexico on Monday, October 25. Both countries are important strategic partners of the United States in advancing democracy, security, and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere.

The Deputy Secretary will travel with a high-level delegation to Bogotá, Colombia, to launch the U.S.-Colombia High-Level Partnership Dialogue. The Dialogue is designed to enhance cooperation across a broad range of issues. The two governments will formally launch discussions in three thematic working groups: human rights, democracy, and good governance; energy; and science and technology. The Deputy Secretary will also meet with President Santos, Vice President Garzon, Foreign Minister Holguin, other cabinet-level officials, and with representatives from human rights organizations. He will then travel October 26 to Medellín, where he will deliver a major policy speech at the Medellín School of Business Administration and Finance, meet with local government leaders, and review U.S.-funded development projects.

Deputy Secretary Steinberg will travel to Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico, on October 27-28, 2010. In Mexico City he will meet with Foreign Minister Espinosa, Mexican senators, civil society leaders, and journalists. In Monterrey he will meet with students and faculty at the Tecnológico de Monterrey, Governor Medina de la Cruz, Mexican law enforcement counterparts, and business leaders. Deputy Steinberg’s visit follows a series of important high-level bilateral events this year and will reinforce our already strong dialogue focused on enhancing U.S.-Mexico cooperation on a wide range of issues including the Merida partnership, rule of law, human rights and judicial reform, youth and civil society participation in confronting shared challenges, economic prosperity, and climate change and clean energy.

Senior participants in the High Level Partnership Dialogue in Colombia include Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel B. Poneman, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela and USAID Assistant Administrator Mark Feierstein.