Colombia’s Ambassador in Moscow Diego Tobon announced that the two countries are signing an agreement so that Colombians will no longer need a visa to enter Russia.
Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will sign the agreement September 20 at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Tobon also said that the Russian government hopes to receive a visit from Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in 2011, which would include a meeting with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev.
In March, Colombia’s then-Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez revealed that the Colombian government was hoping to cultivate “strategic” trade relations with the former Soviet nation, which is currently the principal buyer of Colombian flowers in Europe and also buys coffee, cacao, and textiles.