By Piotr Sidorenko
“We hope for mutually beneficial co-operation. Colombia is agriculturally intensive and we know that the quality of Belarusian machinery is high. We want to share our experience with Belarus in manufacturing industrial products, establishing joint production,” explained the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia, Patti Londono Jaramillo, speaking in Minsk.
Colombia is keen to buy Belarusian heavy-duty dump trucks and passenger and cargo vehicles, in addition to agricultural machinery and equipment. Already, there have been several pilot projects to supply Belarusian tractors and equipment to Colombia, with a Belkommunmash trolleybus sent to Colombia for testing.
Colombia is eager to establish links with CIS states and, this year, sent a delegation to Russia. After visiting Belarus, our foreign guests plan to go to Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. In Minsk, they have held a meeting with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus, Sergei Aleinik.
Colombia, with its 45m population, is a promising partner for Belarus in South America, especially as we already co-operate within the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and other international organisations. Currently, our volume of trade is small but it is rapidly increasing. Belarus’ major exports to Colombia are potash and nitrogen fertilisers, with sales of Belarusian tyres also rising. Imports from Colombia traditionally comprise flowers, sugar and bananas.
