U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez on Wednesday, and signed an agreement on improving science and technology cooperation between the two countries.
According to the U.S. State Department website, the agreement is intended to “spur innovation and open new avenues of collaboration by promoting the exchange of scientists and information, collaborative research, and support programs to increase capacity of universities, research centers and national science systems.”
A committee of representatives of both countries will decide what will be covered by the agreement, which will focus on areas such as biodiversity, forestry, water, energy, health.
Clinton’s meeting with Bermudez was part of a series of talks between the U.S. politician and members of the Colombian government.
As well as meeting President Alvaro Uribe, Clinton also met individually with presidential candidates Juan Manuel Santos and Antanas Mockus, discussing issues such as the pending free trade agreement between the U.S. and Colombia and the fight against Andean nation’s drug trade.