New Australian Embassy in Colombia

Today I announce the Australian Government will open an Embassy in Colombia, our sixth overseas post in the Latin America region.

The establishment of an Australian Embassy in Bogotá is part of the single largest expansion of Australia's diplomatic network in over 40 years and is the tenth new post announced since 2013.

The new Embassy will help create opportunities for Australian businesses, provide consular and passport services to the more than 14,000 Australians visiting Colombia each year, and significantly enhance our presence in Latin America.

Colombia is the fourth largest economy in Latin America and enjoys the highest growth rate of the major economies in the region. Australia's total trade with Colombia is worth $500 million annually and our investment in Colombia is valued at more than $3 billion.

Improved prospects for lasting peace in Colombia are creating new possibilities in sectors where Australia is a world leader, including mining, hydrocarbons, education, agribusiness and insurance.

We already have strong education and people-to-people links with Colombia, which the new Embassy will seek to enhance. There were more than 17,000 enrolments by students from Colombia in Australian educational institutions in 2016 – our second largest source of student enrolments from Latin America.

Along with Chile, Peru and Mexico, Colombia is a member of the Pacific Alliance, Latin America's strongest supporter of trade liberalisation, economic integration and engagement with the Indo-Pacific.