Visit by the Foreign Minister of Colombia and meeting with Faurie
4th meeting of the Political Coordination and Integration Commitee
Today, Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie received the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Colombia, María Ángela Holguín, at the Palacio San Martín. At the meeting, which testified to the traditional bonds of brotherhood, friendship and cooperation between the two countries, the Foreign Ministers reviewed the main topics pertaining to bilateral relations and to the regional agenda.
Foreign Minister Faurie reiterated Argentina's commitment to the Colombian peace process, as stated by President Mauricio Macri on the occasion of his State Visit to Bogotá on 15 May 2016, through the United Nations Mission of Observers and through technical cooperation on projects aimed at peace building.
On the occasion of this visit, Foreign Ministers Faurie and Holguín Cuéllar signed the Minutes that closed the 4th Meeting of the Political Coordination and Integration Committee, which was chaired today by the Argentine Deputy Foreign Minister, Ambassador Guillermo Daniel Raimondi, and the Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister, Patti Londoño Jaramillo.
The Political Coordination and Integration Committee is the bilateral body aimed at affording dynamism to the political bilateral relations. In this context, the Deputy Foreign Ministers analyzed the progress made on the execution of the 2016-2018 Biannual Cooperation Programme, and underscored the importance of joint cooperation actions such as the fight against discrimination, the application of forensic sciences to the identification of disappeared people, the fight against poverty and drug trafficking.
Faurie and Holguín Cuéllar also agreed on exploring possibilities for sharing facilities abroad for the operation of their respective diplomatic and consular representations.
In addition, the Deputy Foreign Ministers expressed their satisfaction with Argentina's election as Guest of Honour at the 2018 Bogotá Book Fair. As regards education, they agreed to call a new meeting of the Bilateral Technical and Educational Committee to make progress on the treatment of matters related to the certification of diplomas and academic degrees.
Furthermore, they also recognized the importance of sports as an efficient tool for social inclusion and intercultural dialogue and, in this regard, they underscored the exchange of rugby coaches and players, within the framework of Colombia's "Sports Diplomacy Programme", which is a successful experience that offers prospects for extending this practice to other sporting disciplines.
Finally, they welcomed the signature of the new Economic Complementarity Agreement between Mercosur -original signatory countries to the Treaty of Asunción- and Colombia, which offers prospects for an increase in trade and a greater level of economic integration and complementarity, with an unquestionable impact on regional development.
Press release No. 322/17
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