WASHINGTON, DC— Representative Eliot L. Engel, the lead Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today made the following statement regarding the Colombian presidential election.

“I congratulate the people of Colombia on a successful election today and Juan Manuel Santos on his victory. In recent years, the world has watched as Colombia has transformed itself from a country plagued by violence and instability and become a country on the path toward peace and prosperity. I have visited Colombia several times and led a delegation to President Santos’s first inauguration. On each visit, I have been impressed by the remarkable progress that Colombia has made and by the strength of the U.S. – Colombia partnership.

“President Santos is very close to reaching a historic peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Our Congress must support Colombia in bringing an end to its 50-year conflict. This will require providing the Colombian government with the support it needs for FARC demobilization and reintegration programs. With an end to Colombia’s war in sight, the United States must stand with the Colombian people now more than ever.”

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