Colombia–Netherlands relations
Bilateral relations
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Colombia and the Netherlands maintain bilateral relations. Both nations have had a friendly relationship since the beginning of the 19th century.
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History
Colombia and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1829. Unofficially, the relations were born when William I of the Netherlands sought a rapprochement with Simón Bolívar, linked to the Latin American wars of independence and the island of Curaçao.[1]
On 10 February 2014, the Netherlands was accepted as an Observer State of the Pacific Alliance at the VIII Summit held in Cartagena. It is also an Associate Country of the Ibero-American Summit and plays a role in the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), which represents the Dutch territories in the Caribbean.[2]
High-level visits
High-level visits from Colombia to the Netherlands[2]
- Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucía Ramírez (2022)
- President Iván Duque Márquez (2022)
- Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva Durán (2022)
High-level visits from the Netherlands to Colombia[2]
- Prime Minister Mark Rutte (2018)
- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Thijs van der Plas (2022)
Bilateral agreements
Both nations have signed several bilateral agreements such as a Memorandum of Understanding for the authorization of spouses of diplomatic officials to exercise remunerated activity in the receiving state (2004); Air Services Agreement (2014); Air Transport Agreement with respect to Aruba (2018); Agreement to avoid double taxation (2022); Circular Economy Memorandum of Understanding (2022) and a Memorandum of Understanding Colombia-Dutch Partnership for Water (2022).[2][3]
Economic relations
Colombia exported products worth 1,215,053 thousand dollars, the main products being petroleum, coal and agro-industrial products, while The Netherlands exported products worth 266,755 thousand dollars, the main products being chemical products, machinery and agro-industrial products.[4]
In 2009, the Netherlands exported services to Colombia worth $155M, with Services not allocated ($155M) being the largest in connection with value. In 2022, the Netherlands exported $782M to Colombia. The products exported from the Netherlands to Colombia included Refined Petroleum ($99.2M), Packaged Medicaments ($67.9M), and Medical Instruments ($52.3M). Colombia exported $3.67B to the Netherlands. The products exported from Colombia exported to the Netherlands were Coal Briquettes ($2.75B), Refined Petroleum ($139M), and Ferroalloys ($129M).[5]
In January 2024, Colombia strengthened its commercial ties with the Netherlands and the Dutch Caribbean. Colombian exports to this region reach a significant value of 1,738 million dollars.[6]
Diplomatic missions
- Colombia has an embassy in The Hague, a consulates-general in Amsterdam, and consulates in Oranjestad (Aruba) and in Willemstad (Curaçao).[7]
- Netherlands has an embassy in Bogotá.[8]
Consulate of Colombia in Oranjestad
