New Delhi : On her first overseas visit after being sworn in, Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi will be paying an official visit to Colombia and New York from September 4 – 9, officials announced here on Thursday.
During her visit to Colombia from September 4-6 she will call on the top leadership of Colombia and also hold bilateral discussions with Vice President and Foreign Minister of Colombia, Marta Lucia Ramirez and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. She will also be interacting with leading Indian and Colombian companies and the Indian Community residing in the country.
Colombia is an important partner of India in Latin America and ties have grown, particularly in the economic and commercial sphere. Bilateral trade for 2020-21 stood at US$2.27 billion, which has seen a significant increase from US$1.85 billion over 2019-20 despite disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an official statement said.
Her visit would provide an opportunity to review progress in bilateral relations and further expand and strengthen this important partnership. The last Ministerial visit from India took place in October 2018, when then MoS for External Affairs, General (retd) V K Singh paid an official visit to Colombia.
During her visit to New York from September 7-9, Lekhi will represent India at the UN Security Council Ministerial Open Debate on ‘Transitions’ under the agenda item ‘United Nations Peacekeeping Operations’ to be convened by the Irish Presidency on September 8.
She is expected to meet with senior UN leadership and interact with the Indian community in New York, in celebration of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence.
