Tánaiste Micheál Martin visited Colombia at the start of January ahead of the 25 years of bilateral relations between Colombia and Ireland anniversary in November 2024. The Tánaiste's visit focused on an agenda about international cooperation for the post-conflict, implementation of the Peace Agreement and Total Peace, as well as the achievement of sustainable development and the deepening of collaboration in education and the police.The Tánaiste held meetings with Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Francisco Coy, and Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Elizabeth Taylor Joy. During bilateral engagement, Ireland announced the increase in cooperation to more than 5 million euro by 2024, with an emphasis on peace. The Tánaiste also had the opportunity to meet with Minister of Defense, Iván Velázquez Gómez, to discuss the collaboration of An Garda Siochana and Colombia's National Police in transnational crime among other issues.
Within the framework of the25 years of the establishment of bilateral relations, both countries plan to hold cultural events to coincide with the centenary of the Colombian literary work The Vortex, to recognise the contribution of Irish diplomat Roger Casement to make visible the conditions of the communities affected by rubber trade in the Amazon.
The Embassy of Colombia to Ireland, in partnership with the Procolombia office in the UK, participated once more in Dublin's Holiday World Show. The fair, aimed at the final consumer, was an opportunity to present Colombia as an old-year-round destination, its six regions with an immense cultural, geographical and natural diversity.
The February session focused on Andrés Caicedo's ¡Qué viva la música! and included the participation of three guests who shared insights about the author’s work. His sister, Rosario Caicedo, and film director, Jorge Navas, joined virtually to share biographical details and Caicedo’s influence in the Colombian and the Latin American cultural landscape. Irish translator Frank Wynne accompanied the session in Books at One and spoke of the challenges and joys of translating the book into Liveforever!
