U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Colombia and Brazil for talks next week on increasing cooperation with their governments, the State Department said on Thursday, Aug 8.

The August 12-13 visits will be Kerry's first to South America since becoming the top U.S. diplomat in February.

"In Colombia and Brazil, Secretary Kerry will meet with high-level government officials to discuss issues of bilateral interest," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement, according to Reuters.