Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes (left) greets Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Gustavo Adolfo Bell Lemus during a ceremony at Government House, May 23, 2013. (BIS Photo/Derek Smith)

Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Gustavo Adolfo Bell Lemus presented his Letters of Credence to Governor General Sir Arthur Foulkes during a ceremony at Government House, May 23, 2013.

The Governor General said although the Republic of Colombia and The Bahamas have had somewhat different paths to democracy and independence, the countries still have significant similarities.

“We are both blessed with unique and impressive natural environments and we both have valuable resources,” Sir Arthur noted.

The Governor General also said that Bahamians are aware of Colombia’s leadership regionally and internationally.

“Colombia is a founding member of the United Nations and responsible for Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the primary role regional organizations can play in achieving international peace, security and development.”

He added that in this region, the foundation for significant cooperation has been laid with the CARICOM/Colombia Technical Cooperation Agreement, and Colombia’s national initiative, 2009 Colombian Cooperation Strategy with the Caribbean Basin.

The Governor General said that significant exchanges between officials of the two countries have already taken place in regard to best practices in food security administered by the Food Security Network (RESA).

He added that there is rich potential for deepening relations in both nations in the area where the Colombian government has achieved special success, namely: skills development; manufacturing; poverty eradication; and financial services.

Ambassador Lemus said despite the problems facing world economies, Colombia is going through a period of strong economic performance.

“In the past few years, the average economic growth has been around five per cent.”

He added that Colombia has direct access to over 180 markets worldwide, and among Latin American countries, it has the largest skilled labour force.

He said the Colombian government is committed to deepening the relationship of cooperation between Colombia and The Bahamas.

Joan Lady Foulkes and permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Philip Miller were also present at the ceremony.