President Gustavo Petro will visit the Federal Republic of Germany with the aim of “strengthening relations between the two countries”.
On Thursday, June 15, President Petro will meet with the President of the European nation, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, to discuss issues of common interest and explore opportunities for cooperation in various areas. In addition, he will hold meetings with the Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and with the directors of the German Parliament, with the aim of strengthening diplomatic ties and promoting collaboration in political and legislative matters.
President Petro will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, which includes the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Álvaro Leyva Durán; Mines and Energy, Irene Vélez Torres; and Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña. Also present were the Director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic, Carlos Ramón González; the Ambassador of Colombia in Germany, Yadir Salazar Mejía; the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francisco Coy; and the President of Ecopetrol, Ricardo Roa, among other prominent representatives.
Agenda
Wednesday, June 14
Petro is scheduled to arrive on Wednesday at 7:00 pm (12:00 noon Colombian time) at Berlin Airport.
Thursday, June 15
The agenda begins with a meeting with the Colombian community residing in the Federal Republic of Germany, which will take place at the headquarters of the Ibero-American Institute.
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At noon, the President will attend a working lunch offered by the Federal Association of German Industry (BDI, for its acronym in German), at the House of the German Economy.
In this meeting, topics such as green hydrogen, renewable energies, technology and innovation will be analyzed.
Members of the Federal Association of German Industry and executives from companies such as UNIPER, Westenergie AG, Siemens Energy, GFT Technologies AG, Nordex, BayWa re Mexico, Deutsche Bahn and ThyssenKrupp Uhde will participate.
Next, President Petro will talk with the presidents of German companies on issues of interest in Colombia, moderated by Wolfgang Niedermark, member of the BDI board of directors.
In the afternoon, the Head of State will visit the Bundestag, the German Parliament, where he will have a meeting with the President of that corporation, Bärbel Bas, of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
Next, he will give a master lecture at the Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung Foundation, the oldest of the German political foundations, linked to social democracy.
Friday, June 16
First, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the Fraunhofer Society – Hydrogen Institute and, for Colombia, the Minister of Mines and Energy, and the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, at the Colombian Embassy.
President Petro will arrive at Bellevue Palace in Berlin around noon for his meeting with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The Head of State will receive military honors and will sign the visitors’ book.
Within the framework of this meeting, Colombia will receive the kogui masks found in Germany. To this end, the repatriation agreement will be signed by Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva Durán and Professor Hermann Parzinger, from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, in the presence of the presidents of the two countries.
These two pieces are kept in the Ethnological Museum of the State Museums of Berlin (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin) and belong to the Kogui indigenous community of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, who consider them sacred objects.
Then, the Colombian Head of State will be received by the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at the Bundeskanzleramt, headquarters of the Federal Chancellery.
Saturday, June 17
Finally, President Petro will lead a meeting of Colombian ambassadors in Europe, which will take place at the Embassy in the German federal capital.