![\"Daniel](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Daniel-Noboa-Ecuado-attack-2025-credit-Juan-Diego-Montenegro-Presidency-Ecuador-1024x682.jpg\")
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Noboa enters the Colombian election campaign following a conversation with opposition candidate Paloma Valencia and the reduction of tariffs. Credit: Juan Diego Montenegro, Presidency of Ecuador.<\/p>\n
The conversation between opposition presidential candidate Paloma Valencia and the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, opened a new front of debate in Colombia<\/a>\u2019s electoral campaign. The contact, confirmed by the candidate herself, coincided with Quito\u2019s announcement of reducing tariffs on Colombian products from 100% to 75%, in a context of accumulated tensions between the two countries.<\/p>\n The government of President Gustavo Petro reacted with questions about the scope and timing of that communication. From pro-government sectors, doubts were raised about the appropriateness of a candidate in the middle of a campaign engaging in dialogue with a foreign head of state amid a strained bilateral relationship.<\/p>\n The opposition, for its part, defended the exchange as a legitimate political initiative within the framework of the electoral debate, in what some analysts describe as interference by Quito in Colombia\u2019s electoral campaign.<\/p>\n Controversy in Colombia over Valencia\u2013Noboa talks and tariff cuts<\/p>\n \u201cToday I spoke with President Noboa and expressed our willingness to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime on the border. As a sign of goodwill toward Colombia, Ecuador\u2019s government announced it is lowering tariffs from 100% to 75%,\u201d Paloma Valencia wrote in a post on her social media.<\/p>\n The opposition candidate<\/a> added that she hopes \u201cthat with the good relationship we are going to build starting August 7, tariffs will return to 0%,\u201d in a clear attempt to link Noboa to her electoral campaign.<\/p>\n Hoy convers\u00e9 con el presidente Noboa y le expres\u00e9 nuestra voluntad de cooperar en la lucha contra el narcotr\u00e1fico y el crimen organizado en la frontera. Como muestra de su buena voluntad con Colombia, el gobierno de Ecuador inform\u00f3 que baja los aranceles del 100% al 75%. Una\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/s9ldOdrV9C<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Paloma Valencia L (@PalomaValenciaL) May 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n The relationship between Colombia and Ecuador has been going through a period of friction since early 2026, when the Ecuadorian government adopted trade measures that directly affected Colombian exports. Quito justified the imposition of tariffs as a way to protect its economy and respond to security problems along the shared border, pointing to the impact of drug trafficking and the presence of armed groups.<\/p>\n Colombia responded with similar measures and decisions in other areas, such as suspending energy exports to Ecuador. Trade between the two countries declined significantly, while the tone of official statements escalated in parallel with the hardening of policies adopted by each government.<\/p>\n The differences are not limited to trade. At the center of the disagreement are differing views on how to confront drug trafficking and insecurity in the border region. From Quito, officials have insisted that criminal networks operate more easily from Colombian territory, while Bogota has defended its actions and rejected those claims, emphasizing the shared complexity of the problem.<\/p>\n Over the course of these months, there have also been exchanges of statements between both presidents that have contributed to cooling the relationship. Public accusations and differences in the security approach have made bilateral coordination more difficult at a time when cooperation is key to border control.<\/p>\n It was in this context that the conversation between Valencia and Noboa took place. The Colombian right-wing candidate explained that the dialogue addressed security issues and the situation at the border, and raised the possibility of improving the bilateral relationship in the event of a change of government in Colombia.<\/p>\n Ecuador\u2019s subsequent announcement of a tariff reduction<\/a> was interpreted by Valencia as a sign of openness. However, Quito did not establish an explicit link between the economic decision and the conversation with the candidate. The temporal proximity between the two events was enough to bring the issue to the center of political debate.<\/p>\n For some sectors, Valencia\u2019s actions show a willingness to rebuild channels of dialogue with Ecuador<\/a> at a time of tension. Others believe that this type of contact should remain within the state\u2019s institutional channels, especially when it involves relations with foreign governments.<\/p>\n Relations between the Petro and Noboa administrations, which were never good to begin with, reached a critical juncture in January, when Ecuador launched a trade war, citing Colombia\u2019s alleged lack of commitment to combating the armed drug-trafficking groups operating in the border region. Credit: Presidency of Ecuador.<\/p>\n Allegations of interference and political debate<\/p>\n From pro-government sectors, concerns were raised about possible external interference in Colombia\u2019s electoral campaign. Criticism focused on the idea that contact with a head of state could be interpreted as a form of influence in the domestic political process, although no evidence of coordination in that regard has been presented.<\/p>\n It was also questioned whether a candidate can assume a role that, in formal terms, corresponds to the sitting executive. From this perspective, foreign policy should be conducted through institutional mechanisms and not through individual initiatives during a campaign.<\/p>\n The opposition rejected these criticisms and defended the conversation as a legitimate exercise of political dialogue. It argues that, in a context of deteriorating bilateral relations, it is necessary to open spaces for dialogue that allow tensions to be reduced and cooperation between the two countries to be restored.<\/p>\n What is clear is that, beyond the differences between Quito and Bogota or the political use\u2014initiated by President Trump<\/a> last year\u2014of tariff threats, at the center of the debate lies the institutional loyalty of the opposition during an electoral campaign. At a time when foreign interference\u2014also something initiated by Donald Trump\u2014has become normalized, pressure exerted from outside a country becomes a valid element for debate.<\/p>\n All in all, Noboa sent Colombia a clear message of political affinity, after five months of rhetorical and trade confrontation with the Petro government. And the enduring debate over how to confront drug trafficking\u2014the source of many of these countries\u2019 problems\u2014not only fails to bring different governments into agreement, but, inevitably, has become part of the narrative of Colombia\u2019s electoral campaign.<\/p>\n![\"Gustavo](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Gustavo-PetroDaniel-Noboa-credit-Presidency-Ecuador-1024x682.jpg\"\/)
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