Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, accompanied by Agriculture Minister Wilmer Castro Soteldo and SENIAT Superintendent José David Cabello, in meeting with Colombian ministers and representatives. Photo: Alba Ciudad.
On Friday, January 20, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez met with the minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, Germán Umaña Mendoza, for advancing in the construction of a comprehensive cooperation framework, as well as in the reestablishment of full diplomatic, political and commercial relations.
Venezuela’s Minister for Productive Agriculture and Land Wilmar Castro Soteldo; Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion Johan Álvarez; and the superintendent of the National Integrated Customs and Tax Administration Service (SENIAT), José David Cabello were present at the meeting. On the Colombian side, Minister Umaña Mendoza was accompanied by Colombian Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade Luis Felipe Quintero, and Director of Foreign Trade Luis Fernando Fuente.
Venezuela y Colombia avanzan en el fortalecimiento y normalización de sus relaciones comerciales. Culminamos las negociaciones del acuerdo de protección de inversiones y avanzamos en la revisión del instrumento de regulación del comercio bilateral en beneficio de nuestros pueblos pic.twitter.com/CdlF6Boqto
— Delcy Rodríguez (@delcyrodriguezv) January 21, 2023
After the meeting ended, the Venezuelan vice president posted on her social media: “Venezuela and Colombia are moving forward in the strengthening and normalization of their trade relations. We have completed the negotiations of the investments protection agreement and moved forward on the procedure to regularize binational trade for the benefit of our peoples.” She attached a press release about the meeting to her social media post.
After several months of work, the delegations of the two countries reached agreements to build certainty, lay firm foundations for the development of investments and clear rules for bilateral trade. “We seek to promote joint development and balance, strengthening trade and promoting our relations on the border,” the ministers of both countries declared.
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The senior officials of both the countries reported that the negotiation of a reciprocal investment protection agreement was concluded, which will be signed by the presidents of the two countries, to then formulate the procedures required in both countries for enforcing it. This agreement is unprecedented in the Venezuela-Colombia relationship and seeks to create greater legal security for reciprocal investments, in all productive sectors of both economies.
Both nations are carrying out a work plan in various areas, such as strengthening binational cooperation and promoting commercial dynamism between the two countries.
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
