Portugal and Colombia have the chance to boost economic relations

Portugal and Colombia have the opportunity to boost their economic relations, namely in green and renewable energy, said Prime minister António Costa in a statement at the end of a meeting with the President of Colombia Gustavo Petro, in Lisbon.

Recalling that Colombia has received investment from several Portuguese companies in the fields of energy, construction, and food distribution, he added that "we wish to continue boosting our political and economic ties with Colombia". 

"We see a huge opportunity in developing a joint effort to support the energy transition, not just using renewables, but also regarding green hydrogen and other green molecules", the Prime Minister added.

The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, claimed his country is interested in deepening cooperation with Portugal in the field of renewables.

Development

The Prime Minister underlined that Portugal follows "with great interest the commitment made by President Gustavo Petro to full peace in Colombia and the inclusive development of the entire territory".

The Portuguese Government noted "the invitation made for other Portuguese companies to invest in tourism and agri-food areas in order to increase revenue for the local Colombian communities", especially because "social cohesion is a prerequisite for peace".

Gustavo Petro claimed that can contribute to peace in Colombia, seeing that the conflict is local and relates to territorial propriety and the illegal economy.

The Portuguese Prime Minister and the Colombian President stressed in their final statement "the positive evolution of the trade relations between the two countries in investment and the presence of Portuguese companies operating in the Colombian market and the growing interest of Colombian companies in the Portuguese market".

Support to the peace process

"Portugal’s full support to Colombia was reaffirmed, from the start, and the Colombian Government’s efforts to implement the 2016 Peace Agreement, reactivate dialogue with the National Liberation Army and other ongoing initiatives", António Costa and Gustavo Petro stated in their final statement.

In this final statement, both countries stressed "the uncompromising commitment to upholding multilateralism based on international law and the UN Charter, sharing the values of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights".

This commitment extends to "supporting peace and promoting sustainable economic and social development that respects gender equality and is committed to the energy transition, strengthening climate action and the digital transformation", they added.

"The opportunity to renew the scope of the Portugal-Colombia Council was signalled, the idea being to extend it to other areas of bilateral relations" and "Portugal praised the Colombian Government’s recent decision to apply as associate observer to the Community of Portuguese-Speaking countries", they also noted in the final statement.

Countering drugs

António Costa also said Portugal is interested in collaborating "with Colombia in the international discussion to be opened on drugs" and "better knowledge of the Portuguese experience on policy on consumption".

"There must be an international discussion in order to eliminate a business that is a threat to human rights a threat to peace and sustainable and inclusive development in the whole world", the Prime Minister underlined.

The Colombian President Gustavo Petro praised the outcomes of the Portuguese experience in preventing and countering drugs, recalling that "20 years ago, Portugal followed a different route in countering drugs when compared to Colombia and the Americas". 

"There is an alternative here we wish to assess, and which can be pursued by our peoples with a view to a change. In Portugal, it is not criminalised, which does not mean to say it is legalised", and there is "a strong public health policy, with outcomes pointing to reducing crime and drug use".

Gustavo Petro said "it is a success, taking on a path that is not criminalisation, whereas in Latin America we only know failure", which accounts for "one million dead", "democratic destruction", and "strengthening crime syndicates with private armies, control over the territory and the population", he said.

The Colombian President claimed that these syndicates "have strong ties with the political power in many of the States of the Americas" and trigger "violence that is the highest in the world".

The President of Colombia is visiting Portugal upon invitation by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.