On the second and last day of her first official visit to Colombia, Foreign Minister Diana Mondino had a busy schedule of meetings with political authorities and representatives from international organizations based in Bogotá.
The working day started at the headquarters of the UN Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC), where the Foreign Minister was received by Carlos Ruiz Massieu, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, and Raúl Rosende, Deputy Special Representative.
The UNVMC was established in 2017 by the UN Security Council pursuant to resolution 2366. Its purpose is to verify the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement of 2016.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister underscored Argentina’s continuous support for the Mission through the deployment of 24 officers of the Argentine Armed Forces and National Gendarmerie as international observers. The Foreign Minister had the opportunity to talk to 15 of them—six in person and 13 remotely— and they described the tasks they carry out in different regions of the country.
Then, the Foreign Minister visited Palacio San Carlos, headquarters of the Colombian Foreign Ministry, to meet with her counterpart, Luis Gilberto Murillo, with whom she reviewed the extensive agenda between both countries, with a view to boosting the development of key aspects of the bilateral relationship.
In this context, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed the commitment to continue promoting bilateral ties in political, economic-trade, cultural and scientific matters. In this regard, she proposed holding meetings of the existing institutional mechanisms, namely the Commission on Economic Relations, Investments and Monitoring of Bilateral Trade; the midterm meeting of the Joint Commission on Technical and Scientific Cooperation; and the Joint Commission on the Prevention of Substance Abuse and the Fight Against Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
Furthermore, the Foreign Minister underscored Colombia’s importance as Argentina’s trading partner and highlighted that Argentine exports doubled since 2018. She also stressed that there is great potential for increasing bilateral trade in different sectors, such as food, the automotive industry, pharmaceuticals, agricultural technology and knowledge-based services.
After the meeting with her counterpart, the Foreign Minister headed over to the Office of the Mission to Support the Peace Process in Colombia (MAPP/OAS), where she held a meeting with the Head of the Mission, Roberto Menéndez. During the meeting, the Foreign Minister highlighted the relevance of a successful peace process for Colombia and for the region. In addition, she underscored Argentina’s contribution to the MAPP/OAS through the presence of a diplomatic officer who works as coordinator of the regional office in the municipality of Pasto, department of Nariño.
During her visit to the Colombian capital, Foreign Minister Mondino was accompanied by the Undersecretary for American Affairs, Ambassador Mariano Vergara, and Ambassadors Gustavo Alejandro Dzugala and Mario Raúl Verón Guerra.
In 2024, Argentina and Colombia celebrated the 201st anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relationship. In 2023, bilateral trade totalled USD 1.7 billion and Argentina’s exports of goods amounted to USD 1.281 billion. The main exporting industry was the automotive industry (40%), followed by the grain industry (25%). Trade in services amounted to over USD 600 million and Argentina’s exports of services were mainly concentrated on travel services (51%).
