PM Binyamin Netanyahu and President Juan Manuel Santos
PM Binyamin Netanyahu and President Juan Manuel SantosAvi Ohayon (GPO)

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara yesterday (Wednesday) were welcomed at the Presidential palace in Bogota by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

The welcome ceremony included an honor guard and playing the two countries' national anthems.

After the ceremony, Netanyahu and Santos met privately. They were later joined by the Colombian Foreign, Defense, and Agriculture ministers. Among topics discussed were deepening bilateral cooperation in agricultural and water technologies, innovation, and cyber defense.

Netanyahu and Santos agreed that a Colombian cyber delegation would visit Israel for advanced training.

Netanyahu also expressed Israel's support for Colombia's accession to the OECD.

Israel is a Pacific Alliance observer state. The Pacific Alliance member states are Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Chile, which combined constitute the eighth largest economy in the world. Israel intends to deepen economic cooperation with this major market.

During the meeting, two agreements were signed: One was between Israel's Science, Technology, and Space Ministry and its Colombian counterpart promoting joint scientific research. This agreement will also promote initiatives for entrepreneurs in the field of innovation.

The second agreement aims to advance tourism, especially organized tourism, between Israel and Colombia. The sides will promote cooperation between various tourism organizations and aspire to develop cooperation in rural tourism, digital tourism, and visits to national heritage and religious sites.

The two countries will also cooperate in various fields including a) exchanges of knowledge about projects and tourism research, and between travel experts and tourism ministries (statistics, tourism literature, etc.), b) promoting cooperation in private sector investments, and c) strengthening bilateral cooperation at the World Tourism Organization.