The Diplomat
The State Secretary for Ibero-America, Juan Fernández Trigo, yesterday held a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Vice-President of Colombia, Francia Márquez, who paid a 36-hour visit to our country.
In his Twitter account, Fernández Trigo reported on the meeting with the ‘number two’ in Gustavo Petro’s government, and said that “the Government of Spain hopes to work closely in the construction of social, fair and sustainable policies, as well as in the construction of peace and respect for and protection of the environment”.
For her part, Francia Marquez called for building a new relationship with Spain, in which both countries, which have a common history, move “forward”, transforming their realities beyond the “symbolism and historical traits” that have to do with colonisation.
This is what the Colombian Vice-President said in a video sent to Efe by the Colombian Embassy, after the meeting with Fernández Trigo, in which she was accompanied by the new Colombian ambassador in Madrid, Eduardo Ávila.
Márquez also held meetings with business sectors and other representatives of the Spanish government, saying that she discussed industry, tourism, energy, technology and connectivity, “always with a focus on social justice for peace and dignity”.
As for the meeting with the State Secretary for Ibero-America, he said that they addressed issues such as “the symbolism and historical traits that still unite both countries, and which of course, he said, have to do with the whole history of colonisation”.
“But today we are in the process of weaving together collectively to rebuild all these symbols that have not served us well. It is better to hold hands as two countries that have a common history, but moving forward, to transform our realities,” added the Colombian vice-president.
Among these symbols of colonial history are the Tesoro Quimbaya, an archaeological collection that Colombian President Carlos Holguín Mallarino gave to Spain in 1892 and which Colombia claims as a gift.
Also the Spanish galleon San José, sunk by a fleet of English corsairs in 1708 on its way to Cartagena de Indias, loaded, according to chronicles of the time, with nearly 11 million gold and silver eight escudos, the ownership of which is disputed between the two countries.
