Colombia National Day 20 July 2017
Joyful Announcement at Colombia National Day Reception
HE Mauricio Baquero Parado, Charge d Affairs to the Republic of Singapore shared with joy “The oldest internal conflict in Latin America has come to an end. After almost five years of negotiations, the Colombian Government and the FARC signed a Peace Agreement”.
The Colombian National Day was celebrated on July 20th at Park Royal Hotel where Mr Amrin Amin, Singapore’s Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health was the guest of Honour. Also attending were Members of Parliament Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Mr Murali Pillai.
In his welcome address marking the 207th Anniversary of Columbia’s independence, he said this has been a very positive year for the country as well as a very productive one in its bilateral relationship with Singapore. The new Peace Agreement with the FARC will place Colombia into a new era of peace and development. He quoted the President of Colombia who said, “Peace is the road to reconciliation, to opportunities, to development, to tranquility and to a more solid and deep democracy.… Peace summons us all.” Ambassador Parado who is in his third year in Singapore said the Colombian Embassy was established in 1982 and next December will be its thirty-fifth Anniversary and that the City-State is a model of sustainable development, economic growth, productivity and innovation. Colombia too has a very attractive business environment, with a competitive legal framework and it is well interconnected to the world economy. According with UNTACD, in 2016, it was the third most attractive country in Latin America for foreign investors, bringing more than US$13,500 millions of dollars its economy. Tourism has increased 700% since 2010.
For the full text of Ambassador Parado’s speech click here.
