Juan Manuel Santos Quotations

For many years, they said the drug lords in Colombia were unbeatable, but all the same, we've eliminated all the big capos (as the drug lords are called in Colombia). The homicide rate is as low as it was 40 years ago and the kidnapping rate has dropped to the level of 1964. Now we'll be able to bring down the street criminals specializing in extortion and robbery.

Colombians do not like the FARC. In fact, 95 percent reject the FARC.

Colombia has a big market that is growing because we are elevating people out of poverty and into the middle class.

In any symmetrical war in today's world, it is necessary to have regional support.

To make peace, it is necessary to know how to make war.

The notion that you do not negotiate with terrorists is not the history of humanity or of the world.

It was shameful that, after Haiti, Colombia was the second most unequal country in Latin America. But we've achieved some things; the inequality is coming down, and coming down fast. The growing economy has provided us with the funds to finance a very progressive social policy that has reduced extreme poverty. We have the lowest inflation rate of all Latin-America countries and the highest growth rate.

The fight against drug trafficking by the Colombian government has been present, and the Americans themselves are the first to recognize that.

Colombia is a different country today. The state is now present in every single corner, the drug lords are in jail or dead. So we have the means to guarantee the security of FARC politicians.

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