Joint statements of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias, and the Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Μ.Α. Holguín Cuéllar, following their meeting (Athens, 14 December 2017)

N. KOTZIAS: We had the pleasure of hosting the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the friendly country of Colombia. We exchanged views on the further development of our bilateral relations. We talked about Colombia’s very interesting peace process and we congratulated them.

It is a model from which we can all learn. Colombia is a very interesting country because it is developing its economy, it has a great culture, and we have to take advantage of all this in our bilateral cooperation.

We also discussed the development and the general situation in our regions, the crises and wars in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as issues of economic development and its different facets in Latin America.

M. A. HOLGUIN CUELLAR: I would like to thank Minister Kotzias for the excellent reception. The truth is, I wanted to come to Greece earlier, but due to the peace process in my country it wasn’t possible.

But it is a great pleasure to be here. I met with Minister Kotzias last September, and of course we had the opportunity to talk about the importance of our bilateral relations and how these relations can be strengthened even further.

I talked to Minister Kotzias about the opportunities that exist in Colombia – which is now at peace – in various sectors, including the business sector. I also mentioned the potential for olive oil to enter our market.

We also talked about security issues. I explained everything we have done in this sector and the ways in which we can pass on our experience and thus ensure further cooperation and improvement in our relations.

Finally, I would like to say that tourism was another key sector that we talked about. There is no doubt that there is a great deal of room for cooperation in this sector. Colombia, which, as I said, is now at peace, has improved its links with various cities in our country, so I would say that it is an exceptional opportunity for us to make it possible, through tourism, for anyone who is interested to get to know a gorgeous country.

Thank you.