Colombia seeks free trade agreement with Costa Rica
COLOMBIA – September 23rd, 2012 – According to Sergio Granados, Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Colombia is looking to reinforce its commercial presence in Central Americ through the free trade agreement his country is negotiating with Costa Rica.
From September 24th to the 28th , teams of negotiators will be meeting for a second time regarding such an agreement between the two countries.
“Achieving a free trade agreement with Costa Rica will reinforce our commercial strategies with Central America, which in turn brings more jobs and well-being for both (Colombia and Costa Rica), “ said the Colombian minister.
“I trust that with this treaty, exports will increase and become more diverse,” he added.
In the first round of meetings, which took place in Bogota between July 30th-August 2nd, 11 out of 22 chapters of the agreement were resolved.
The negotiating chief of Colombia, Javier Gamboa, stated that during the second round, the technical teams will be focusing on subjects such as access to agriculture and industrial goods markets, Specific Origin rules, and cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters, amongst others.
Commercial activity between Colombia and Costa Rica has had an approximate annual growth of 16.5% during the past five years.
The Colombian Minister of Commerce also stated that the trade agreement with Costa Rica is important because, besides being one of the most dynamic economies in the region, Costa Rica is also a country that has many cultural, commercial and investment bonds with Colombia.
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