OREANDA-NEWS. April 08, 2010. At Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s invitation, Jaime Bermudez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia, paid an official visit to Russia on April 4-7. The Colombian delegation also included Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Andres Fernandez.

Lavrov and Bermudez held on April 6 thorough talks which passed in an atmosphere of trustfulness and mutual understanding.

The heads of the foreign affairs agencies, especially pointing out that the visit was taking place in the year of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the bicentennial of Colombia’s independence, noted with satisfaction the consonance of their states’ approaches to major international problems, including the issues of UN reform, disarmament and WMD nonproliferation, counteraction against new challenges and threats, human rights problems, and the world economic situation. They discussed the concrete prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation in the trade, economic, investment, scientific, technological, cultural and humanitarian fields and in the sphere of agriculture.

At the conclusion of the talks the ministers of foreign affairs of Russia and Colombia signed a Joint Statement.

The legal framework for Russian-Colombian relations was further expanded: Minister Bermudez signed with Minister of Justice A. V. Konovalov a Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Colombia on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, and with Deputy Minister of Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Y. D. Nagornykh a Memorandum on Cooperation in the Field of Physical Culture and Sport between the Minsportturism of Russia and the Colombian Institute of Sport.

The Colombian Foreign Minister laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall.

Jaime Bermudez expressed his condolences over the terrorist acts in the Moscow subway on March 29, 2010. He visited Park Kultury Metro Station and laid flowers at the memorial plaque to the tragedy victims.

During his visit Jaime Bermudez also met with senior officials of the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly, the Moscow City Municipality, the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Moscow Patriarchate. He visited the Peoples Friendship University of Russia, to which on the occasion of its 50th anniversary he presented on behalf of the President of Colombia the state award of his country – the National Order of Merit in the Grade of the Silver Cross.