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Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu will begin an official trip to Colombia next Monday, accompanied by Arantxa Tapia, leading a business delegation.  This trip is strongly economic in character, however Urkullu has also included gatherings with the Basque community while there with a visit to the Euskal Etxea in Bogota and the nearby Gernika Park where a reproduction of Picasso’s Guernica is displayed along with a sculpture by Navarrese artist, Santxotena. 

Vitoria-Gasteiz.   Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, accompanied by the Minister of Economic Development and Infrastructure, Arantxa Tapia, will travel to Colombia on an official visit with a strong economic and business slant.  Urkullu will hold meetings with institutions as well as with representatives of Basque companies in Colombia (nearly 70), and of the 25 Basque businesses that will travel to that country to participate in several activities coordinated by his Government throughout the week.

The delegation, led by the Lehendakari, will leave for Bogota on Monday, May 29th.  Accompanying him will be Minister Arantxa Tapia; Secretary General of Foreign Action, Marian Elorza, and the Vice-Minister of Industry, Javier Zarraonaindia.  During his stay in the Colombian capital, the Basque Government delegation will hold institutional meetings with the Minister of Foreign Relations, Maria Angela Holguin, and the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Maria Claudia Lacouture.

In regards to Business meetings, the delegation will analyze the different economic opportunities that are available in the country after the Peace Agreement.  Basque companies will also share their “know how” with Colombian institutions including ProColombia, the Program of Productive Transformation (PTP) of the Ministry of Industry, Innpulsa or the Ministry of Telecommunications who will present their plans and initiatives.

The Lehendakari will also give a talk at the Javierana University, one of the largest on the continent, to academics of various disciplines.  He will also approach the Colombian Government in regards to the joint field of Peace and Coexistence.

The Lehendakari will also sign a memorandum of understanding in the field of competitiveness, industry, innovation and environment, among others with Cundinamarca, the Colombian region with the largest number of Basque companies.  Cundinamarca is the engine behind growth in the country, with a GDP of Colombia’s 30% stake.

The program will also include a meeting with the Colombian Basque community with a visit to the Euskal Etxea in Bogota, as well as to a replica of Picasso's “Guernica” situated in the park by the same name.

In addition, Arantxa Tapia, along with Vice-Minister Zarraonaindia, the Vice-Minister of Environmnet, Elena Moreno, as well as the director of IHOBE, Jesus Losada and the director of URA, Ernesto Martinez de Cabredo, will attend the 60th International Congress ACODAL.  This is one of the environmental events with the most projection in the international panorama that will be celebrated in Cartagena de Indias May 31-June 2.  Euskadi will enjoy a special role in the congress this year, because the Basque environment cluster – ACLIMA is co-organizer of the event that will be attended by nearly 2,000 people from various countries (Colombia, France, Spain, Israel, United States, Germany, Netherlands, South Korea…) who will be given the opportunity to debate and present initiatives on water, sanitation, renewable energy or waste management.  The congress also will highlight Euskadi’s environmental journey and its fight against climate change in recent decades, as well as its strategic position in Europe.  It will also seek to establish channels of collaboration with Colombian institutions as the environment is an emerging economic sector, which can become a source of opportunities for the creation nof new businesses.

Colombia is identified as a priority partner in the Euskadi 2020 Internationalization Framework Strategy.  It is the first country with the highest concentration of Basque companies in South America, with a total of 69 commercial, productive and service sector companies.  The Lehendakari’s trip comes at a key moment for Colombia after the signing of the Peace Agreement, which ends more than 52 years of war, and which brings new opportunities to the Colombian economy.