Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will visit London, the United Arab Emirates and Portugal to drum up support for his government’s US$43bn post-conflict investment program.
Santos, who will also receive prizes for his work to promote peace and environmental awareness, will be joined on the trip by business representatives and members of his cabinet, the presidential palace said in a statement.
The whistle-stop tour will begin in the British capital on Thursday, where Santos will be awarded the Chatham House prize for his efforts to end a 52-year war between the government and FARC rebels. On Friday he will receive the Kew international medal for his actions to preserve biodiversity, the presidential palace said.
Colombia’s head of state, the winner of last year’s Nobel peace prize, will then travel to Abu Dhabi to sign a bilateral accord related to double taxation and investment protection. The Arab nation will also pledge US$45mn to support post-conflict initiatives.
On Sunday, Santos and his entourage will go to Dubai where they will meet with private sector investors and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.
His last stop will be Lisbon for talks with the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and to receive other accolades for brokering Colombia’s historic peace deal.
The accord, signed last November, saw some 8,000 guerrillas hand in their weapons, ending a conflict that killed an estimated 220,000 people.
The agreement includes a commitment to improve rural infrastructure and social programs, while opening up vast swaths of land for mining and oil and gas exploration.
Source: http://bit.ly/2zsWYvF
