(24 Jan 2022) On Monday 24 January and Tuesday 25 January, the first days of the Singaporean delegation’s working visit to Colombia were successfully carried out. The delegation was led by Minister of Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan, and was accompanied by Ambassador Manuel Solano, Ambassador of Colombia to Singapore.

The day of the 24th began with a meeting with the Minister of the Environment and National Development, Dr Carlos Correa, in which they discussed climate change adaptation, carbon emissions commitments, the circular economy, sustainable cities, and a proposal for a Memorandum of Understanding on carbon credits that will be discussed between the two nations.

After that, the Singaporean delegation visited the Ministry of Mines and Energy, where they were received by Minister Diego Mesa, and they shared experiences and ideas regarding cooperation in renewable energy.

In the afternoon, the Singaporean high-ranking civil servants were received by the Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Dr Ximena Lombana, and Dr Flavia Santoro, Director of ProColombia. On this occasion, the two counterpart agencies, Enterprise Singapore and ProColombia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to balance commercial relations and explore the inclusion of new products in trade between the two countries. Minister Gan and his delegation also met the president of Ecopetrol, Dr Felipe Bayon, and had dinner with Colombian companies from the technology sector.

On the 25th the ambassador of Colombia to Singapore, Manuel Solano, organized a lunch in honour of the Singaporean delegation which was attended by Senator Santiago Valencia as well as the president and vice-president of Fenalco, the director of the Bogotá trade association, and businesspeople from the port and logistics sector of Colombia.

These results stem from the fluid political dialogue between the Embassy of Colombia in Singapore and the Singaporean authorities, especially with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, which has allowed the diversification of the bilateral agenda with the Southeast Asian nation.