Last Monday, former Colombian senator Carlos Felipe Mejía was appointed by the elected president of Colombia, Abelardo De La Espriella, as the new ambassador of Colombia to Spain.
The appointment is known less than three weeks before the presidential inauguration, scheduled for next August 7, the date on which De La Espriella will officially assume the Presidency of the Republic. With this announcement, the elected president begins to define the diplomatic representations that Colombia will have abroad during his administration.
Carlos Felipe Mejía, originally from Manizales and 63 years old, is an agronomist engineer and has a master’s degree in Government and Public Management in Latin America from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain. His political career is closely linked to Uribism and the Centro Democrático party.
The next Colombian ambassador to Spain was a senator of the Republic for two consecutive terms, between 2014 and 2022, and developed much of his legislative management in the Fifth Commission of the Senate, responsible for matters related to the agricultural sector, the environment, mining, and energy. His political career, before becoming one of the main political collaborators of Adelardo De La Espriella, developed in the sectors of rural development, food security, and policies for the Colombian countryside, actively participating in debates.
After finishing his term as a congressman, Mejía was a co-founder and national coordinator of the movement Defensores de la Patria, an organization from which he supported the construction of the political project that led the now-elected president to victory in the presidential elections.
Carlos Felipe Mejía decided to part ways with the Centro Democrático to support the candidacy of the now-elected president De La Espriella, which was interpreted by various political sectors as a key support to consolidate alliances with conservative and right-wing leaders in different regions of the country.
His appointment is also seen as a political reward to those who supported the presidential campaign and as a signal of the type of profiles that will integrate the foreign policy of the new Government.
The Colombian Embassy in Spain is considered one of the most relevant diplomatic representations for the country. Spain hosts one of the largest Colombian communities abroad, with hundreds of thousands of compatriots residing there, in addition to maintaining a close relationship with Colombia in economic, commercial, educational, cultural, and cooperation matters.
Among the main responsibilities of the new ambassador will be strengthening bilateral relations between both countries, promoting investment and trade, boosting cultural and academic ties, as well as coordinated work with the consular network to address the needs of Colombians residing in Spain.
Carlos Felipe Mejía will officially assume his duties once the new Government takes office and the corresponding administrative procedures are completed to formalize his accreditation as ambassador of Colombia to Spain.
