Colombia and Canada on Thursday sign a memorandum of understanding to increase cultural cooperation and exchange between the two countries, according to a press release from the Canadian government.
The agreement was signed between Canada’s minister of heritage and official languages, James Moore, and Colombia’s minister of culture, Moreno Zapata.
According to Moore, “This memorandum of understanding is another milestone in Canada’s relations with Colombia and bodes well for our cultural exchanges in the future.”
The heritage minister added that “Colombia has a dynamic economy and strong growth potential. These cultural exchanges will help strengthen our ties, while providing mutually beneficial exchanges,” praising Colombia’s cultural “richness and diversity.”
According to the press release, the Canadian and Colombian governments will work together to implement the memorandum of understanding in order to increase cooperation in areas of “broadcasting and film, promotion of Aboriginal cultures and languages, social development through culture, protection of cultural heritage, and sharing of specialized knowledge between national conservation agencies.”
The signing of this agreement comes as a free trade deal between Colombia and Canada is about to be signed.
Colombia’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Tourism, Luis Guillermo Plata, announced on Tuesday that the country has reached the “final stages” of negotiating a free trade agreement with Canada, saying that he would be traveling to the North American country next week to finalize the deal, following a month of discussion in the Canadian House of Commons over the agreement.
