On 11 February 2025, the non-resident Ambassador of Colombia accredited to Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Victor Hugo Echeverri Jaramillo, paid a courtesy call on the Hon’ble Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the Government of Bangladesh, Md. Touhid Hossain, following his Presentation of Credential the day before.
During his maiden call on the Foreign Adviser, Ambassador Jaramillo extended his appreciation to the Hon’ble Adviser for the courtesy meeting and briefed about the burgeoning relations between Bangladesh and Colombia. He mentioned the engagements of his Embassy with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to elevate the existing relations between Bangladesh and Colombia. Stating the number of bilateral instruments/MOU/Agreements regarding Agriculture, Visa Waiver, Avoidance of Double Taxation, Diplomatic Training, Bilateral Political Consultation, he opined that the bilateral relations between the two countries would be strengthened through successful conclusion of these instruments. He also expressed optimism for growth in the trade in commodities and service sector.
He intimated that Colombia may be a lucrative destination for Bangladesh products, particularly pharmaceuticals, due to its own internal demand and its existing preferential access to neighbouring region, subject to right strategies of the Bangladeshi pharma companies. He also extended invitation to the Hon’ble Foreign Advisor to visit Colombia which might add extra impetus to expeditiously finalize and sign the ongoing bilateral instruments between the two countries.
The Hon’ble Adviser congratulated the Ambassador and commended for his initiatives for bolstering Bangladesh-Colombia relations. He expressed Bangladesh’s willingness to work with Colombia and underpinned the people-to-people connectivity through easing of visa process for the prominent nationals/business persons of the two countries leading to the accelerated growth in trade and business.
He also emphasized on concluding the ongoing negotiations regarding the bilateral instruments/MoUs to expand into a whole gamut of areas for engagement. While advocating frequent exchange of business and official delegations between the countries, he prioritized a few areas including RMG, Pharmaceuticals, Jute, software development, IT solutions, furniture, among others, with regard to trade and business facilitation. He also thanked the Ambassador for his invite.
Hon’ble Adviser assured him of the necessary support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh for continued cooperation and wish him well to continue working to further the relations between Bangladesh and Colombia. Relevant officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present at the meeting.
