Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Venkataraman concluded his official visit to Colombia last Friday. Over the course of the trip, Assistant Secretary Venkataraman traveled to the cities of Bogota and Cartagena, where he met with members of the newly inaugurated Petro Administration, represented the United States as Guest Nation at the ANDICOM regional information and communications technology (ICT) conference and trade show, and engaged with representatives of the American and Colombian business communities to hear directly from the private sector on the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Colombia.
Government-to-Government Meetings
During his visit, Assistant Secretary Venkataraman met with several officials from the recently inaugurated Petro Administration to discuss their priorities and identify shared interests and objectives for the U.S.-Colombia commercial relationship. During his time in Colombia, Assistant Secretary Venkataraman met with Aurelio Mejia, Vice Minister of Business Development; Luis Carlos Reyes, Director of the National Directorate of Tax and Customs; Guillermo Reyes, Minister of Transportation; officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy; and Cartagena Mayor William Dau.
ANDICOM Trade Show
Assistant Secretary Venkataraman also represented the United States as the Guest Nation at the ANDICOM regional ICT conference and trade show, where over 140 U.S. tech companies showcased their innovative, dynamic, and cutting-edge solutions and demonstrated their potential applications to the Colombian market. Assistant Secretary Venkataraman also delivered remarks following President Petro at the event, where he celebrated 200 years of bilateral relations between the United States and Colombia and 10 years of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, underscoring Colombia’s importance as a trading partner of the United States. He also discussed the role of technology in broad-based economic development and noted the importance of policies that facilitate safe, secure and interoperable digital trade.
Private Sector Engagement
Assistant Secretary Venkataraman also met with several U.S. and Colombian private sector representatives through one-on-one meetings as well as engagements with the Council of American Enterprises and several chapters of the American Chamber of Commerce in Colombia. During his meetings, the Assistant Secretary discussed the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Colombia and gathered input on ways in which the U.S. Department of Commerce can support constructive engagement with Colombia on policies that will facilitate increased bilateral trade and investment to promote inclusive growth across the country.
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