At the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long met with Colombian Ambassador to Vietnam Camila Polo Flórez to discuss energy cooperation and promote negotiations toward a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long and Ambassador Camila Polo Flórez exchanged views on the invitation for Vietnam to attend the First International Conference on Energy Transition toward the Gradual Phase-out of Fossil Fuels, scheduled to take place in Santa Marta. The two sides also discussed activities aimed at accelerating FTA negotiations between Vietnam and Colombia.

Representing Vietnam at the meeting were Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long and officials from several units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, including the Electricity Authority, the Agency for Innovation, Green Transition and Industry Promotion, and the Department of Foreign Market Development.

On the Colombian side were Ambassador Camila Polo Flórez; Laura Leguizamo Naranjo, Second Secretary of the Embassy; and several other officials from the Colombian Embassy in Vietnam.

During the meeting, Ambassador Camila Polo Flórez expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for arranging the meeting and conveyed Colombia’s hope that Vietnam would attend the international conference to be held in Santa Marta this April. According to the Ambassador, the conference aims to identify and discuss feasible pathways to realize an energy transition toward the gradual phase-out of fossil fuels in a fair and equitable manner.

She noted that Colombia and Vietnam share several similarities in policy approaches as well as geographical conditions affecting energy development, creating opportunities for the two countries to exchange experiences within the framework of the conference.

On behalf of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long thanked the Colombian side for the invitation and expressed interest in the conference’s theme. He stressed that the event would provide an opportunity for Vietnam to share its experience as a country striving to fulfill its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions.

The Deputy Minister also proposed holding the Second Meeting of the Vietnam–Colombia Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation on the sidelines of Vietnam International Sourcing 2026, an international supply chain connectivity exhibition scheduled to take place in September in Ho Chi Minh City and organized by Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long expressed his hope that during her tenure in Vietnam, Ambassador Camila Polo Flórez would continue to work closely with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to advance economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries in line with the significant potential of bilateral cooperation.