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14/09/2006

Canada's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs' recent visit to Colombia renews bilateral friendship, commitment, and cooperation at the highest level

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Peter Harder, visited Colombia from August 17 to 19, 2006, as part of a three-country tour in the Caribbean and Andean Region. The visit proved to be very timely and productive, as President Alvaro Uribe Vélez is starting his second term in office with important cabinet changes as well as with a solid interest in strengthening Colombia's bilateral relationship with Canada across a broad range of shared interests.

The formal centrepiece of the visit were the Sixth Canada-Colombia Vice-Ministerial Consultations traditionally held every two years. However, an additional intense agenda of top-level meetings provided Mr. Harder a first-hand sense of the ample opportunities for increased cooperation between the two countries. Meetings were held with Vice President Francisco Santos, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, María Consuelo Araújo, and other high-level representatives of the Colombian government. Likewise, the Deputy Minister met with Canadian business leaders based in Colombia, representatives from international organizations and diplomatic missions, key political experts and civil society members.

The Deputy Minister spent Saturday, August 19, travelling with President Uribe to the San Vicente del Caguán region (until recently a stronghold of the FARC guerrillas) for a community council meeting. The excursion allowed Mr. Harder to see President Uribe in action and spend time not only with him, but with a number of ministers and senior advisors including the Ministers of Health, Energy & Mining, and the Director of National Planning.

Overall, the Deputy Minister's official visit to Colombia was an excellent opportunity to emphasize Canada's commitment to a healthy bilateral relationship, demonstrated through its support to the peace process, its long-standing development assistance, and the fast increasing trade and investment rates between the two countries.

Photograph by the Press Office of the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Deputy Minister Harder and his Colombian counterpart, Vice Minister Reyes, at a press conference on Friday, August 18.