Dutch P.M. visits Colombia

Colombian President Ivan Duque welcomed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte here Thursday with military honors ahead of talks on political and economic issues.

Rutte is the first Dutch head of government to make an official visit to Colombia’s in 179 years of bilateral diplomatic relations, despite the Andean nation’s proximity to the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, which are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The large delegation accompanying Rutte included Dutch Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten, his country’s ambassador to Colombia, and government ministers from Curaçao and Aruba.

The Dutch premier began his visit to Colombia on Wednesday in the northwestern banana-growing region of Uraba, where he met with local community leaders.