The Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and Colombia held a ceremony in Bogota to celebrate 45 years of Vietnam-Colombia diplomatic relations. The commemoration was held jointly with the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Several dignitaries graced the occasion, including Member of the Party Central Committee, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of Vietnam, Vu Hai Ha, and the Binh Duong Provincial Party Committee Secretary, Nguyen Van Loi. Representing the Colombian ministry were Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas Rodrigez; Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism Arturo Bravo; and Deputy Minister of Culture Jorge Ignacio Zorro Sanchez.
At the outset, Minister Jorge Rojas Rodrigez expressed his heartfelt condolences on behalf of the Colombian ministry over the demise of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, Nguyen Phu Trong. He acknowledged the late leader’s contribution to improving Vietnam’s socio-economic conditions. The audience observed a minute of silence in reverence to the late leader.
Ambassador Vu Trung My noted that it took four decades to revive diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Colombia. The economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is particularly noteworthy. In 2023, both countries doubled their 2018 bilateral trade value to US$790 million. Consequently, Colombia became the fifth-largest trading partner in Latin America.
He also narrated how President Ho Chi Minh’s travels across South American countries established the relations between Vietnam and Latin America. Later, South American citizens supported Vietnamese independence. This further strengthened the ties between the two countries. Additionally, the travels and work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a celebrated Colombian writer, in Vietnam, highlighted the cultural solidarities between the two nations.
Minister Jorge Rojas Rodrigez expressed his appreciation for the collaborative attitude displayed by both nations in multinational fora, summits, international organisations, and inter-regional cooperation mechanisms like the Forum on East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), the United Nations, the cooperation between Pacific Alliance and the ASEAN. He also emphasised the need to continue cooperation in all fields to keep up the successful efforts of the previous generation of leaders.
Before the ceremony, the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and Colombia organised a discussion on Vietnam-Colombia diplomatic relations and a photo exhibition displaying the beauty of the Vietnam nation, its culture, and its people. The exhibition was organised jointly with the Colombian Diplomatic Academy. It witnessed the participation of several history enthusiasts, international relations researchers, and students.
