Vice Minister Choi Jong-geon, Korea-Colombia High-Level Policy Consultation... Discussion on Cooperation in Health, Medical, Infrastructure, and Defense Industries

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the morning of the 16th, Choi Jong-geon, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, held the 3rd Korea-Colombia High-Level Policy Consultation via video conference with Francisco Javier Echeverri, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, to discuss bilateral relations, practical cooperation after COVID-19, and cooperation on the international stage.

This meeting is the first high-level policy consultation with Latin American countries during the COVID-19 situation. It aims to materialize the will to expand cooperation between the two countries, confirmed during a phone call between the two heads of state in early April, by discussing ways to strengthen practical cooperation after COVID-19 in various fields such as health and medical care, information and communication technology and science and technology, infrastructure, and defense industry.

Following the face-to-face meeting between the Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Korea and Costa Rica at the end of last November, Vice Minister Choi plans to hold a high-level policy consultation with Colombia about 20 days later to continue strategic communication and cooperation enhancement discussions at the high-level with emerging promising markets in Latin America after COVID-19.

Colombia is the only Latin American country that participated in the Korean War and is a key partner of Korea in Latin America. Based on their traditional blood alliance, the two countries have established a ‘strategic cooperative partnership’ and have expanded and developed practical cooperation through the conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.

Colombia, the third Latin American country to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is the third largest domestic market in Latin America and a hub of Latin American FTAs, having signed FTAs with 50 countries worldwide. It is gaining attention as a logistics and business hub in the Americas in the post-COVID-19 era. Additionally, the ‘Orange Economy’ and the ‘Pact with Colombia’ policies actively promoted by President Iv?n Duque show potential for cooperation in digital transformation and eco-friendly infrastructure sectors in connection with Korea’s New Deal comprehensive plan.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "This high-level policy consultation is expected to be an opportunity to comprehensively discuss practical cooperation projects between the two countries in the post-COVID-19 era, based on the active high-level communication and health and quarantine cooperation that have been ongoing despite the COVID-19 situation."

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