Supporting the Colombian peace process and restarting of the collaboration

  • February 18, 2016
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On 18 February, the Colombian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patti Londoño met Minister-president Geert Bourgeois in Brussels. They discussed restarting the bilateral cooperation on ports and waterways, an agreement Flanders and Colombia signed in 2005. Vice-Minister Londoño also gave the Minister-president a detailed project proposal.

Colombia has become a major economic player in the Americas. It is the third Latin American economy after Brazil and Mexico. Minister-president Bourgeois will examine the possibility of extending the cooperation with Colombia, especially after the recent approval by the Flemish Parliament of the EU's free trade agreement with Colombia and Peru, for which Vice-Minister Londoño explicitly expressed her gratitude. Minister-president Bourgeois expressed his hope for a quick approval by the Brussels and Walloon Parliament, where this agreement is still pending.

Vice-Minister Londoño gave the Minister-president an update on the progress made in the peace process between the Colombian government and the guerrilla movement FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia - Ejército del Pueblo). She stated that the negotiations are going smoothly, especially since the Colombian government and the FARC reached an agreement on four main points: a cease-fire, the future political representation of FARC in Colombia, the allocation of land rights and the war on drug trafficking. Minister-president Bourgeois wished the Colombian government every success in the further negotiations and called for a rapid and lasting peace so they can focus on the war on extreme poverty in Colombia. In this respect, the free trade agreement with the EU can have a positive impact on employment in the agricultural sector, among others.

Read the article on the Colombian government website