Abstract
JALAC was honored to have as Lecturer, Honorable Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to Japan, Mr. E. Roberto Vélez, at the conference entitled, “Colombia: A Story of Success”, held at the Conference Hall of the Fukoku Seimei Building, 28th Floor, March 17th 2015. Mr. Vélez was appointed as the new ambassador to Japan last year. More than 90 people attended the event. JALAC reproduces the excellent PPT, hoping that it will be of interest and use for a wider JALAC audience.
During his speech, the ambassador briefed the audience on Colombia’s political, economic, and social achievements in recent years. Mr. Vélez stated that Colombia has overcome the security and illegal drug-trafficking problems, and continued to show the most stable economic growth in South America. The unemployment rate has come down and the poverty level has been reduced, while the exchange rate has also been depreciated. Colombia’s trade structure has been diversified over the years, as the United States, China, and European countries have been gaining importance as trading partners. This contrasts to the earlier years when Venezuela was its major trade partner. Thanks to the aggressive opening-up policy, foreign investment into the country has been on a constant rise, especially in the energy-related fields. In the ambassador’s view, the negotiations of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Japan are expected to be finalized this summer. He also expects that raw materials will drive Colombia’s exports to Japan in coming years. During a lively Q&A session, the Ambassador kindly responded to the questions from the floor, including those regarding the impact of falling oil price for Colombia, possible exchange programs in the education sector with Japan, prospects of tropical fruit imports from Colombia, recommended tourist destinations, as well as the roles that technocrats play in the political-economic structure of the country, among others.
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Conference: “Colombia: A Story of Success”