President Dilma Rousseff has a busy agenda in her official visit to Colombia on Friday (Oct. 9) to expand trade relations between the two countries. The day begins with a flower offering ceremony at the Casa Museo Quinta de Bolívar, former home of independence leader Simón Bolívar in the capital city, Bogotá.

Rousseff will be welcomed by President Juan Manuel Santos at the Government Palace, and will also visit the Congress and the Supreme Court of Colombia. Along with Santos, she will be at the closing session of a meeting of business leaders of the two countries. Her return to Brasília is expected in the late afternoon.

The Brazilian president will travel in the company of the Ministers of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (Armando Monteiro) and Foreign Relations (Mauro Vieira). According to the Deputy Secretary-General for Central and South America and the Caribbean of the Foreign Ministry, Ambassador Paulo Mesquita, agreements for government purchases, trade facilitation and investment are expected to be signed during the visit.

“We have an Economic Agreement which now covers around 80% of our trade. We would like to speed up the tariff reduction covered in the agreement and close an automotive deal,” Mesquita explained. Colombia has the second largest population and the third largest economy in South America, but is only our seventh-ranking trading partner in the continent.

Trade between the two countries has increased from $1.1 billion in 2005 to $4.1 billion last year. Despite the growth, the bilateral trade flow is still below its potential according to the Brazilian government.