Colombia to become first Latin American NATO 'global partner'

Colombia will next week formally become North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) first Latin American "global partner," President Juan Manuel Santos announced yesterday, Rappler reports.

Santos, who won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end a half-century of armed conflict with the former rebel movement FARC, said the move would improve Colombia's image on the world stage.

"We will formalize in Brussels next week – and this is very important – Colombia's entry into NATO in the category of global partner. We will be the only country in Latin America with this privilege," the president said in a televised address.