Colombia considers Russia an important ally on world stage - Deputy FM

BOGOTA, May 6. /TASS/. Colombia regards Russia as an important ally on the world stage, the South American country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Patty Londono said on Tuesday. She was speaking while opening an exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. "Over 80 years of developing our cooperation with Russia we have built very good relations, Russia has always been our major ally," the diplomat said. "At this exhibition one can see photos of some milestone events, which reflect dynamics of our relations." Londono noted that the exhibition had been organized on the personal instruction of Colombia’s Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin who, following a visit of Russia’s top diplomat Sergey Lavrov last month, decided to mark the anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations in a solemn way. In turn, Russian Ambassador Pavel Sergiyev said that "Moscow and Bogota had similar stands on modern challenges and threats." "We consider Colombia an important trade partner in Latin America and want to deepen our relations," Seriyev said. "We also note with satisfaction significant progress in the ties between Colombian and Russian regions." The Soviet Union and Colombia formally established diplomatic relations in 1935, and the first exchanges of ambassadors took place in 1943. However, following the 1948 riots in Bogota connected with the assassination of popular Liberal party leader Jorge Eliecer Gaitan, the Colombian authorities broke off relations with the Soviet Union until 1968. In recent years, relations between Colombia and Russia on the international arena have been expanding steadily. In 2014, a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Colombian leader Juan Manuel Santos took place on the sidelines of the BRICS - South America summit in Brasilia. Earlier this year, the delegations of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament, have paid an official visit to Bogota. Read more