President Gustavo Petro officially ended his visit to Munich (Germany) this Saturday. The final day of his second visit to the country in less than a year included two important bilateral meetings with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and the European Union’s (EU) senior foreign affairs official, Josep Borrell.,
(Also: ‘They made fun of us’: President Petro on Panama Sports and Games debacle)
The meetings that took place in a row were not very long: each meeting lasted on average 15 minutes.
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Peace issues dominated both meetings, as the EU and Germany have a special involvement in both monitoring the implementation of the 2016 agreement and the ‘comprehensive peace’ policy, currently focused on negotiations with the ELN and the two main . FARC dissidents.
Now in the conversation with Chancellor Scholz, the production of green hydrogen was also discussed. Germany is one of the powers in the development of these clean energy technologies. In this regard, EU Ambassador Jorge Rojas, in a conversation with EL Tiempo, explained that many European countries are interested in Colombia, as he says the national territory has ideal conditions for production.
As for Germany, the potential for investment in Colombia has increased since last June due to President Petro classifying the country’s potential for this type of clean energy.
Regarding the meeting with Borrell, the meeting, in addition to peace, focused on the summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union, which should be held in Colombia around 2025.
The president said, “With Denmark we are going to create a team so that next year there will be a meeting between Latin America and Europe whose agenda will revolve around a single theme: overcoming war.” He said that this is a necessary step. To face the climate crisis.
Both these meetings were part of President Gustavo Petro’s two-day visit to Munich (Germany). The main reason for the visit was his participation in the opening day of the security conference, which began on Friday and ended yesterday.
The President told a press conference held yesterday after the two meetings that the passage through one of the most important security discussion venues is positive and signals a new position for Colombia in the international system.
“At the center they consult us and we can participate. We have much to say because of our experience of decades of violence and our path out of it. This is the importance of Colombia at this time, that is why they make noise and invite us to these places, ”he assured.
(Also: This was a meeting of the Governor of Chocó with the government delegation at the table with the ELN)
Similarly, the Colombian President talked about the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the security summit. Petro expressed his support for the said country, but clarified that this is not the case as done by some of the countries that provide him with arms. The biggest contribution for the President will be to move forward on peace issues.
The head of state also mentioned the events in Colombia. For the first time, he spoke directly about the departure of Sports Minister Astrid Rodriguez. The President acknowledged that someone had to leave the government in the event of the loss of the Pan American Games venue, but that his minister was not the main responsible person.
He also talked about the situation in Venezuela. “I asked President Chávez, while he was alive, to re-enter the Inter-American human rights system,” he expressed in response to Maduro’s determination to remove UN officials from his country.
Petro gave his opinion on the demonstrations that took place in Bogotá, which questioned the alleged interference of multilateral organizations in the country’s internal affairs, especially the process of electing the next prosecutor.
“We present a short list of decent and experienced women, it is our constitutional right and it is the responsibility of the court to select it. This is not pressure, this is a mandate of the Constitution,” he concluded.
Juan Sebastian Lombo
Special Envoy in Munich, Germany
political draft