Bogota [Colombia], November 6 (ANI): India's Ambassador to Colombia Vinod Bahade met Colombia's Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs Daniella Restrepo Duarte and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries on multilateral issues of mutual interest, the Indian Embassy in Colombia said.

"Ambassador Vinod Bahade met Daniella Restrepo Duarte, Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. The two sides exchanged views on strengthening India-Colombia cooperation on multilateral issues of mutual interest, reaffirming the shared commitment to closer engagement, constructive dialogue and collaboration at international and multilateral forums," the Embassy stated on social media platform X on Thursday.

Furthermore, the diplomatic mission noted on X, "India and Colombia look forward to further strengthening their partnership and working together towards shared priorities and global challenges."

Earlier on Thursday, Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita held a meeting with Colombia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Omar Bula Escobar on the sidelines of the 30th Ibero-American Summit in Madrid, with discussions focusing on strengthening cooperation in trade, education, health, culture and multilateral fora.

Following the gathering, Minister of State Margherita shared details on X, stating, "Pleased to interact with Omar Bula Escobar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. The interaction focused on strengthening cooperation in trade, culture, education, health and multilateral fora."

Continuing diplomatic engagements on Wednesday, Ambassador Bahade met Colombia's Minister of Justice Ivan Alfonso Cancino Gonzalez to explore avenues for deepening bilateral cooperation concerning judicial and legal matters.

Elucidating the nature of the talks, the Embassy communicated on X, "The discussions covered technological collaboration in the judicial sector, capacity building, exchange of expertise and other areas of mutual interest. Both sides explored opportunities to further strengthen institutional ties and deepen cooperation between India and Colombia."

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, India and Colombia share friendly and cordial bilateral ties.

Throughout the decades, this partnership has continuously expanded and diversified across all sectors of shared priority, spanning political, commercial and cultural domains.

Diplomatic relations between Colombia and India were officially established on January 19, 1959, with both nations celebrating six decades of formal ties in 2019.

To date, multiple memoranda of understanding and formal agreements have been concluded between India and Colombia across various fields, including trade promotion, scientific and technological cooperation, defence, information technology, tourism, space exploration, health, traditional medicine systems and culture. (ANI)