Visa-free regime will contribute to the development of political, economic and trade relations between the two countries - Colombian Ambassador in Kazakhstan Jaime Giron Duarte

- Mr. Ambassador, glad to see you in Astana! What were your impressions of our city? - Firstly, thank you for the invitation. Astana is one of the most beautiful and modern cities in the world. I was impressed by the friendliness and kindness of Astana citizens. I was also impressed by its architecture; all buildings are well planned. In my opinion, Astana can become a tourist mecca. - Please tell us about yourself, how did you become the Ambassador to Russia with concurrent accreditation to Kazakhstan ? - I started working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973 at the age of 22. In the course of my career I have been able to represent my country in Egypt, India, Kenya, the United Nations in New York, Canada, and more recently - in Russia. The Colombian Government has instructed me to represent our country in Kazakhstan. The main task for me is to bring together our countries and peoples. I would like to note the excellent support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan. Relations with the Foreign Minister and his deputies gave us the opportunity to increase the level of relations between our states within the last 4 years. - Kazakhstani people can visit Colombia without a visa. What does Colombia expect from this measure? - Yes, indeed, our country has abolished visas for citizens of Kazakhstan arriving in our country for a short-term visit lasting from 60 to 90 days. We realized that the visa-free regime will contribute to the development of political, economic and trade relations between the two states. We can offer Kazakhstani people various kinds of tourism including environmental. We have excellent doctors and hospitals. In addition, our country is known as the birthplace of a unique coffee. - How do you assess the prospects for cooperation in the humanitarian sphere? - This is my first visit to Kazakhstan, and my colleagues told me about the Nazarbayev University. In my opinion, we should discuss the prospect of student and teacher exchange between our universities. - What directions of economic collaboration between our countries are the most relevant? -The level of trade relations between Colombia and Kazakhstan is, unfortunately, not high. However, I believe that there are prospects for cooperation increase. Kazakhstan may supply its engineering products to Latin America through Colombia. In turn, we can supply ornamental plants to your market. As you know, Colombia ranks 2nd in the world in the number of cultivated flowers. Colombia also exports precious stones including emeralds. We want to attract investors in infrastructure projects. Our country has plans to upgrade the existing infrastructure, including railways, ports, airports and roads. These are important projects as we are expanding the capacity of the Panama Canal. Colombia is also developing the mining sector. - Thank you for the interview!