Matt Carthy
Question:45. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his engagements with the Colombian government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6922/24]
View answerWednesday, 14 February 2024
Questions (45, 48, 49)
Matt Carthy
Question:48. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if, during his engagements with representatives of the Colombian government, they discussed the fossil-fuel non-proliferation coalition; the role of climate justice in the Colombian peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6925/24]
View answerMatt Carthy
Question:49. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if, during his engagements with representatives of the Colombian government, they discussed the labour reforms and the role of social justice in the Colombian peace process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6926/24]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 45, 48 and 49 together.
I visited Colombia on 10-11 January 2024. During my visit, I met with Defence Minister Iván Velásquez, Vice Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Francisco Coy and Elizabeth Taylor Jay, and representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace (OACP).
In my meeting with Vice Ministers Coy and Taylor Jay, we discussed the strengthening of bilateral relations; bilateral cooperation in the areas of education and agricultural research; migration; cooperation in multilateral fora; EU-CELAC relations; and the current situations in Ukraine and Gaza. We had a fruitful exchange with regard to peacebuilding in Colombia, with a discussion on the progress, challenges and key issues in this regard. We also discussed biodiversity and climate protection, notably the importance of the protection and preservation of the Amazon rainforest, and the potential to cooperate at multilateral level on our shared objectives in this area. In addition, our conversation touched on the importance of developing and diversifying our trade in goods and the possibility of collaboration in the area of Business and Human Rights and the sharing of our National Action Plans on this topic.
In my exchange with Minister Velásquez, our discussion also focused on Ireland’s support to peacebuilding in Colombia, the dynamics of the Total Peace initiative and the EMC dialogue process. We also discussed ongoing police cooperation, including how this could be further developed, approaches to tackling organised crime and drug use, the use of models of citizen engagement, and police reform.
My meetings with the OACP were important to deepening understanding of Ireland's guarantor role in the ongoing peace dialogues with the EMC, together with Norway, Switzerland and Venezuela. The next round of dialogues is scheduled to take place from 3-10 March.
I was pleased in all of the above meetings to highlight Ireland’s strong bilateral relations with Colombia, to reiterate Ireland's strong support for the Colombian peace process, including the 2016 Peace Agreement and the Government’s Total Peace policy, and to share that this support will be further enhanced in 2024.