Relations between Belize and the Republic of Colombia began on 15 February 1982, less than a year after the former's independence from the United Kingdom.[1] But prior to that, Colombia had already signed treaties with the European country, in 1888 they signed an extradition treaty. In 1866 and in 1980 they exchanged to promote relations of friendship, trade and navigation.[2] Both countries are members of the Organization of American States and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
 | |
 Belize |
 Colombia |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Belize in Mexico City (Mexico)[note 1] | Embassy of Colombia in San Salvador (El Salvador)[note 2] |
Significant issues
editBelize is part of the cooperation projects within the framework of the Cooperation Strategy with the Caribbean Basin.[3] Within this project, Belize has received cooperation in various aspects, such as:[4]
- Public service: Colombia has trained in various aspects of public service, including quality management, audits, public water, sewerage and basic sanitation services (management and rates), and citizen service.
- Security: Colombia has trained the Belizean armed forces in maritime and air interdiction for the fight against drug trafficking, substance control in ports and airports, air defence, money laundering, violence prevention, criminal intelligence, police transparency, and drug supply.
- Social Security: The areas in which Belize has received assistance are: payment of subsidies, poverty reduction.
- Development: Second-tier banking, technological development and innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurship and sustainable production models are the areas in which Belize has received technical advice from Colombia.
On the other hand, Colombia helps most of the Central American countries, along with Mexico through the Mesoamerica Project. Belize has benefited from infrastructure, tourism and environmental projects.[5]
Dispute with Guatemala
editAt the 2012 meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Colombia and Guatemala, the Andean country congratulated the governments of Belize and Guatemala for bringing this dispute to a popular consulate. This demonstrates that Colombia applauds peaceful solutions to disputes and avoids taking sides in this conflict.[6]
Drug trafficking
editIn 2011, Belize was placed on the United States' blacklist for drug trafficking, due to its location making it a corridor for drug transport to the United States and the insular Caribbean. Therefore, Belize, like Colombia, has strengthened its ties in the fight against the drug problem through multilateral forums, the main one being the OAS.[7]
Diplomatic missions
editIn 2002, Colombia decided to close its embassy in Belize, so all diplomatic matters from Colombia to the Central American country are handled through the diplomatic office in San Salvador. Likewise, Belize accredited its ambassador in Mexico City to the Colombian government.[8]
As for consular matters, the Consulate General of Belize in Mexico City is responsible for serving Colombian citizens, likewise, the Consulate of Colombia in Guatemala City is the one that performs consular functions for Belize.
Trade
editIn 1994, CARICOM and Colombia signed a free trade agreement aimed at promoting trade and investment, cooperation and the creation of joint ventures.[9]
The Caribbean country's main export item to the Andean country is chemical products, while Colombia's positive trade balance is due to its exports of mineral fuels.
| Country | Exports ($USD) | Percentage (exports) | Percentage (imports) | Percentage (total) | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Belize
|
$169.620 | 0.00249% | 0.20559% | 0.14336% | chemicals, toys, wood products, boilers, plastic products, electrical appliances. |
 Colombia
|
$1.800.903 | 0.00306% | 0.00029% | 0.00167% | chemicals, pharmaceuticals, boilers, foods, ceramics, organic chemicals. |
Source: Trade Map[10]
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Cancillería. "Antigua y Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Granada, San Cristóbal y Nieves, San Vicente y las Granadinas, Santa Lucía". Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.
- ^ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize. "Colombia". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belize.
- ^ Cancillería. "Conoce la estrategia Caribe". Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.
- ^ Agencia para la Cooperación. "Belice". Presidencia de la República de Colombia. Archived from the original on 2014-12-21. Retrieved 2014-12-21.
- ^ Diana Carolina Medina Pérez. "Análisis del Proyecto Mesoamérica y su incidencia en la integración de la Región Centroamericana y Colombia". Universidad del Rosario.
- ^ Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de la República de Colombia. "Reunión Bilateral de los Ministros de Relaciones Exteriores de la República de Guatemala y la República de Colombia" (PDF). Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de la República de Colombia.
- ^ Silvia Mantilla. "Narcotráfico, violencia y crisis social en el Caribe insular colombiano: El caso de la isla de San Andrés en el contexto del Gran Caribe". Scielo.
- ^ Cancillería. "Belice". Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores.
- ^ SICE. "Information of Barbados". OEA.
- ^ Trade Map. "Bilateral Belize-Colombia". Trade Map.