The Embassy of Colombia in Berlin

Amb. Yadir Salazar Mejía

Yadir Salazar Mejia embarked on her diplomatic journey by completing the Diplomatic and Consular Training Course at the San Carlos Diplomatic Academy in Bogotá from 1996 to 1997. Subsequently, she served as a Third Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she focused on the German, Austrian, and Swiss desks from 1997 to 1998. Following her role, she became the Private Secretary to the Vice Minister for Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bogotá from 1998 to 1999.

Her career then led her to Germany, where she served as the First Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Embassy of Colombia from 1999 to 2005, being responsible for economic affairs and human rights in Bonn and Berlin. Upon returning to Bogotá, Yadir Salazar Mejia  worked as the First Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to 2006, contributing to publications on Colombian foreign policy.

From 2006 to 2009, Yadir Salazar Mejia served as the Coordinator of negotiations for Colombia's free trade agreements with Canada, EFTA, and the European Union, and she was also involved in negotiating policies on Competition, Monopolies, and State Enterprises at the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Industry, and Tourism of Colombia in Bogotá.

Continuing her diplomatic journey, she became the Director of Multilateral Economic, Social, and Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia from 2009 to 2010. Following this, she assumed the role of Alternate Ambassador at the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the United Nations in New York from 2010 to 2011, where she facilitated the Resolution Program of Activities for the International Year for People of African Descent.

Her career then took her to Washington DC, where she served as Minister Counselor at the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the OAS from 2011 to 2016. During this time, she held various significant roles, including President of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development OAS, Chief Negotiator of the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Facilitator of the Resolution Promoting Integrated Water Resources Management in the Americas.

Yadir Salazar Mejia continued her diplomatic endeavors as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Inter-American Telecommunications Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS), CITEL, in Washington DC from 2016 to 2018. She then returned to Bogotá to serve as the Director of Multilateral Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia in 2018.

From 2018 to 2020, Yadir Salazar Mejia held the position of Chief of Staff of the Vice President of the Republic of Colombia. Following this, she resumed her diplomatic service in Germany, where she served as Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Colombia from October 2020 onwards.

Her dedication and expertise led her to achieve the rank of Ambassador in the Diplomatic and Consular Career of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia on January 11, 2022. Shortly after, she assumed the role of Chargé d'Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of the Republic of Colombia in the Federal Republic of Germany from August 6, 2022.

Finally, on October 24, 2022, Yadir Salazar Mejia was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of the Republic of Colombia in Germany, marking a significant milestone in her diplomatic career.

Ambassador’s multilingual abilities include proficiency in Spanish, German, English, and French. Additionally, she holds certificates in Environmental Management and Global Climate Change from Harvard University.

Germany and Colombia have enjoyed long and friendly relations due to the German businesses operating in Colombia, the scientific and academic exchange, as well as cultural institutions and development cooperation. The last visit to Colombia is by Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier in 2015, whereas the most recent visit to Germany by Colombian President Santos was in November 2014. Germany is Colombia’s principal trading partner in the European Union, and there has been a marked growth in bilateral trade in recent years. A number of major German companies have their own production facilities in Colombia.

German development cooperation with Colombia focuses on peace development and crisis prevention as well as environmental protection and resource conservation. A third priority area, sustainable economic development, was added in 2012. As for the academic relations, they are close, as is evidenced by the approximately 2600 Colombians studying at German universities, by university partnerships, exchanges of researches and lectures and cooperation under scholarship programmes. On the other hand, there is a growing number of German academics and researchers working at universities and research institutions in Colombia. Finally, the Goethe Institute offers an extensive cultural programme and numerous language courses.