US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough began a two-day visit to Colombia on Monday to discuss bilateral issues, including security, human rights and economy, according to local media reports.

The officials are to hold high-level meetings with Colombian government officials to institutionalize US cooperation in matters of security, at both national and regional levels.

Arriving in the Colombian capital Bogota, Burns and McDonough were accompanied by top officials from the Pentagon and the Department of Justice.

US delegation official Ricardo Zuniga told the Bogota daily El Tiempo that the "High-Level Strategic Dialog" aimed to begin the transitioning of the relationship between the US and Colombia, which has until now focused exclusively on security issues.

The two will seek a relationship "that reflects the nature of our current goals: working together to strengthen security in the Americas, especially in Central America, and at the global level. And we want to institutionalize this dialog," said Zuniga.