President of the Colombian House of Representatives visits Speaker Oshima
On Wednesday, 29 May, Hon. Alejandro Carlos Chacón Camargo, President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Colombia, who was in Japan at the invitation of the House of Representatives, visited the House with his delegation and met with Mr. Tadamori Oshima, Speaker; Mr. Hirotaka Akamatsu, Vice-Speaker; Mr. Isshu Sugawara, Mr. Yoshio Maki and Mr. Hidemichi Sato, Directors of the Standing Committee on Rules and Administration; and Mr. Isao Matsuda, Mr. Tetsuya Shiokawa, Mr. Takashi Endo and Mr. Hajime Hirota, Members of the Committee.
Speaker Oshima, beginning by welcoming the delegation to Japan, expressed his hope that this visit would contribute to further development of the bilateral relationship, in light of the celebration of the 110th anniversary of the establishment of Japan-Colombia diplomatic relations in 2018 and this year marking the 90th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Colombia. Speaker Oshima also noted his appreciation for the active exchange between governments and parliaments of both countries. Referring to the Japan-Colombia Tax Convention which had been approved at the Japanese Diet, he expressed his hope that the domestic process in Colombia would be swift, so the Convention could enter into force soon, and that their economic ties would be further strengthen.
In reply, Mr. Chacón expressed gratitude to Mr. Oshima for his invitation to Japan. He stated his hope for further development of the bilateral relationship, reporting that a parliamentarians' league of friendship between the two countries had been established in the Colombian House of Representatives on the occasion of this visit to Japan, with parliamentarians of the delegation being the main members. In addition, he demonstrated his intention to make efforts as Speaker for the rapid entry into force of the Tax Convention toward the strengthening of bilateral economic ties, and noted his hope for progress in negotiations between the governments on the Economic Partnership Agreement.
Other subjects in the meeting included cultural exchange through sports and women's representation in the parliaments of their countries.
