RIYADH: When the yellow, blue and red ribbon was cut, a new era of diplomatic relations was born as Colombian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Rayan El-Barkachi Aboutrabi marked the opening of the first Colombian Embassy in the Kingdom on Monday night.
“It’s about becoming closer with one another as governments and further developing relations, as well as for the Colombian people and the Saudi people to come closer together,” the ambassador told Arab News.
Saudi Arabia is also committed to opening its own embassy in Colombia, as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said in a meeting in Bogota with his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Leyva Duran in May 2023.
Two memoranda of understanding have also been signed between the two nations — one promising more academic cooperation and the other for political consultations between the two foreign ministries.
The vice ministers of foreign affairs of both countries, Waleed El-Khereiji and Francisco Jose Coy Granados, signed the agreements in Bogota in April 2024.
Aboutrabi highlighted his intention to improve cooperation in economic relations, tourism, renewable energy and agriculture, and noted the deep love and appreciation both peoples have for good coffee.
“Our similarities in those areas signify a pull for us to come closer together as nations and peoples.”
He said that some of the biggest priorities in cooperative areas right now are clean energy, agriculture, sustainability and tourism.
“We think a lot about Saudi Vision 2030, and we would like to diversify our economy.”
