Colombia’s economic success is not dependent on the outcome of the ongoing FARC-government peace negotiations, said the country’s finance minister, Mauricio Cardenas, on Friday.
“The economy is going very well and is not dependent on the results of the peace process,” said Cardenas.
“If this process with the FARC ends successfully it will be a bonus, which will help the economy because it would create a few extra points of growth, but our economy is marching on wheels and is every day better evaluated and more attractive to the foreign investors.”
The new round of peace negotiations with FARC have touched upon subjects such as agrarian reforms and the role of foreign investment in the Colombian economy. The FARC negotiation group on Friday issued a message highly critical of Colombia’s current model of foreign investment.
“This [the foreign investment] is not to feed the 12% of the population that suffers from malnutrition, nor to make sure 5,000 children do not die each year of hunger in our country. No, this is to fill the pockets of the multinationals and their revered local associates, who are serving this government,” said Ivan Marquez, the chief rebel negotiator.