Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the ambassador. It goes without saying but merits repeating that Ireland has been and is a strong supporter of the Colombian peace process and we have given practical expression to that support, as the ambassador will be aware. We remain strong supporters of the Colombian peace process and as the ambassador has said in reverse, we will remain strong friends of Colombia.

Having said that, I share the sentiment that, as friends, it would be unhelpful if we were not open and straight with the ambassador. I share the deep concerns of colleagues about the human rights situation in Colombia. I would argue that Colombia cannot achieve the rule of law by extrajudicial methods and that there must be standards in law enforcement, the judicial process and the penal process. I am heartened to hear the ambassador say that there are approximately 160 individual investigations in process. That is welcome. We would be concerned, however, as a country and based on all of our experience, that Colombia has to maintain the peace process through the rule of law.

Having made that point, I am at a little disadvantage in that I was in transit in the car during some of the ambassador's presentation. I was trying to listen to it and to manage to do some city driving as well so I did not pick up on everything the ambassador initially said. I want to make a further comment that the ambassador's remarks on housing and education were priorities are so crucial. The way Colombia will achieve a real, profound and lasting peace is by addressing the housing and education question.

It is hoped that tourism into Colombia can be restored. It is crucial economically, socially and in every other way. I do not have to remind the witnesses that Colombia's tourism product will be greatly improved by a rigorous addressing and upholding of the rule of law, democratic principles and proper judicial principles.

I would have missed this point so I ask where Colombia is with the pandemic and where the witnesses see the implications of that for the country. The ambassador is not in the Executive wing of the Colombian Government but Colombia's new budgetary requirements are arising from the pandemic. Where is Colombia with vaccinations and caseloads in the context of the pandemic? Where do the witnesses see that going? This is an Executive function but it would seem logical that in the achieving of a budgetary situation to deal with the pandemic, the Colombian Government would try to achieve a level of consensus and societal buy-in to its tax methods, which should help to deal with the demonstrations.

We are strong supporters of the Colombian peace process. We firmly believe in it and want it to succeed. We want to visit a prosperous and successful Colombia in future. There is no reason we should not do so. I wish Colombia well in its endeavours in that direction. As friends, we have to strongly make the points we made and it would be negligent of us on a number of fronts not to do so.