Colombia’s minister of trade, industry and tourism, Luis Guillermo Plata, concluded an official visit to Canada Thursday on an optimistic note, saying it is possible that Canadian Congress will ratify its free trade agreement (FTA) with Colombia within two months, reports Radio Santa Fe.
“The free trade agreement with Canada could be ratified by the Congress of that country in less than a month and a half,” Plata said, following his visit, which included meetings with senior leaders of Canada’s opposition Liberal Party.
The minister testifyied at a parliamentary committee meeting on international trade, describing the FTA as a “fundamental tool for mutual economic development.”
The minister was accompanied on his visit by Colombia’s ambassador to Canada, an official from the Association of Colombian Flower Exporters, Colombia’s presidential adviser on mining and energy issues, and the president of the Group of Public Companies of Medellin (EPM),
The FTA, which was signed in 2008 and approved by the Colombian Congress shortly thereafter, awaits final approval from the Canadian parliament. Last week, Canada’s House of Commons voted 183 to 78 in favor of the FTA, and will now move on to a second round of debate until its final approval.