Colombia’s newly elected president, Abelardo de la Espriella, said he will close at least 14 Colombian embassies around the world, local media report.

The decision will affect embassies in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Hungary, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Romania, Senegal, and South Africa.

He confirmed that he will suspend the opening of Colombia’s embassy in Palestine, as had been planned by the government of outgoing President Gustavo Petro.

In the same vein, he also announced plans to merge the diplomatic missions in France and UNESCO, as well as in Italy and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, in order to reduce costs.