translated from Spanish: Piñera in Colombia: renewed support for the peace process and promoted the Pacific Alliance

The president, Sebastián Piñera, stressed this Friday in Cartagena de Indias his support for peace in Colombia during an official visit to the country in which he discussed with his host, Iván Duque, the strengthening of the Pacific Alliance and Prosur, as well as the measures against the pandemic. We are following very closely and are very impressed with the way the ‘peace with legality’ process is being conducted. Colombia is a country that has had many wars in its history and that is making an enormous effort to build a solid, true peace,” he said in the statement he gave to the press. The president arrived this morning in the Caribbean city, capital of the department of Bolivar (north), for a three-day official visit in which he was also in the town of Turbaco where he learned first-hand about the productive projects of former FARC combatants who are in the process of reincorporation. War, violence, can unfold in an instant; peace is built with vocation, with commitment, with resilience, which is not from one day to the next, and you are on the right path,” Piñera said, addressing the Colombian president. On the occasion of the visit, the two countries also signed an extradition treaty to have more tools to fight international organized crime. Piñera and Duque also discussed issues such as security and defense; collaboration on issues such as Antarctica, fighting forest fires and “how to achieve greater collaboration in areas of education, culture and science”. The economic reactivation after the Covid-19 pandemic was another central point of the meetings held today by the two presidents, who exhibited affinity in the different points of the agenda. Piñera defined as a priority “to continue effectively protecting the health and life of our populations, collaborate in this fight against the coronavirus pandemic and accelerate vaccination processes in our countries.” At that point, he clarified that, as “man lives not only from coronavirus, we also talked about how to promote a recovery that is inclusive, that incorporates everyone and that is sustainable, that is, that is harmonious with the environment and with society.” He also highlighted the “shared vision” he has with Duque on other challenges facing humanity, especially what he called “the climate crisis,” because, as he explained, what the world is experiencing “is not climate change, it is definitely the climate crisis.” We are on the verge of the COP26 summit in Glasgow (Scotland) and also Colombia co-chairs the summit on biodiversity that are intimately related and therefore we will make a joint effort, Colombia and Chile, to bring a proposal that allows us to advance in the Glasgow summit “to be held from November 1 to 12, Said. President Piñera also said that in addition to signing treaties such as extradition, they achieved “great agreements in areas that are important and transcendent for Colombia and Chile.” We talked and looked for ways to project and strengthen the Pacific Alliance and Prosur, institutions to which both Colombia and Chile belong,” he said. Upon his arrival this morning in Cartagena, Piñera said that one of the axes of the visit was to talk about “the next steps” of the Pacific Alliance, which the two countries integrate together with Mexico and Peru, and the Forum for the Progress of South America (Prosur), of which both presidents are founders. We have so many challenges ahead. For now, it is to involve countries such as Canada, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia to the Pacific Alliance, and later to Ecuador, “said Piñera.The first four countries are working to realize their entry as Associated States of this organization, while Ecuador pursues its full incorporation since 2018.TWO CENTURIES OF FRIENDSHIPThe two presidents also stressed the importance of the celebration in 2022 of the 200 years of diplomatic relations. ” Next year we will celebrate 200 years of friendship and collaboration between Colombia and Chile, so I want to say from the bottom of the soul that in Chile, as a country, we feel in Colombia a loyal and permanent friend and you know, President Duque, that you can also count on Chile as a loyal and permanent friend,” said Piñera.Duque considered that today’s meeting “has opened 200 years of bilateral relationship that we will be celebrating in 2022. and that show the efforts we have built together.” Piñera’s visit will continue on Saturday with private activities in Cartagena de Indias and on Sunday he will depart for Montevideor from where he will then depart for Asunción.

Original source in Spanish