The visit has contributed towards strengthening and diversification of India-Colombia bilateral ties

Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia Marta Lucia Ramirez who was on a three-day official trip to India from October 1, concluded her visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

During her visit, she was accompanied by Minister of Health and Social Protection Dr. Luiz Fernando Ruiz, government officials, representatives of private companies and educational institutions.

Last week on Friday, Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu met Ramirez and exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in many areas.

Colombian Vice President Ramirez also extended an invitation to Vice President Naidu to visit her country.

On Saturday, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar held a comprehensive bilateral dialogue with Ramirez. Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi also met Ramirez on October 3, 2021 with whom she had very productive discussions during her visit to Colombia last month.

The Colombian Vice President also held discussions with senior officials in the Ministry of Science and Technology as well as Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on exploring cooperation in biotechnology, co-production and technology transfers in the development of vaccines and pharmaceutical products.

Later, two Letters of Intent for cooperation in the fields of biotechnology and medical research were signed by the Department of Biotechnology and ICMR with their Colombian counterparts.

Prior to the arrival of Ramirez, a 48 member delegation headed by Dr. Luiz Fernando Ruiz, Minister of Health and Social Protection travelled to Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru from September 27-30 and visited Indian pharmaceutical companies and Centres of Excellence.

They also visited ISRO facilities and met representatives from New Space India Limited (NSIL) and the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC).

Colombia is an important partner of India in Latin America and our bilateral relations have been expanding, particularly in the economic and commercial sphere despite pandemic disruptions.

The visit of Ramirez to India was preceded by the visit of Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi to Colombia from September 4-6, 2021.

The visit will further contribute towards strengthening and diversification of India-Colombia bilateral ties.