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Colombian deputy FM visits Europe on peace process, cooperation

Xinhua, February 9, 2016 Adjust font size:

Colombia's peace process and bilateral cooperation are the focus of a seven-nation European tour by Colombia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Patti Londono, which started Monday.

Londono's trip coincides with the start of a three-day national forum in Bogota on the end of the five-decade conflict between the government and leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.

The two sides appear close to signing a definitive peace deal, and the envoy will be "explaining" to the European governments "the current state of the talks on ending the armed conflict in Colombia and exploring cooperation initiatives around the eventual post-conflict scenario," the foreign ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

In post-conflict Colombia, the government will need significant financial support to fund a range of projects in the country's poor regions for peace building.

While Colombia gets substantial foreign aid, donor countries are expected to increase their contributions to help pay for the disarming of the rebels, removal of land mines and relocation of communities displaced by the years of fighting.

Londono's official tour began in Reykjavik, Iceland's capital city, where Londono met with President Stefan Haukur Johannesson to discuss the peace deal expected by the end of March.

The two also discussed Schengen visa waiver for Colombians.

Londono is also set to meet with fishery and agriculture authorities in the Nordic country, and to visit the Svartsengi power plant and Resources Park, to exchange experiences in farming and energy resources.

Londono, along with the director for European affairs at Colombia's foreign ministry, Juan Guillermo Castro, will then travel to Norway, Finland, France, Sweden, Lichtenstein and Belgium "to strengthen bilateral ties" in the areas of politics, cooperation, economics, culture and education.

Londono and Castro will meet with Norwegian authorities on Tuesday in Oslo. Norway has played an important role in the peace process, serving as guarantor of the talks being hosted by Cuba. Endi