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The Foreign Ministry of Colombia

Carlos Holmes Trujillo

Minister of Foreign Affairs

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Colombia's Foreign Minister is a lawyer with broad experience in diplomacy matters and in the public affairs in Colombia.

Mr. Trujillo has a law degree from the University of Cauca, with graduate studies in Criminal Law and Criminology. He has other graduate studies in the Sophia University of Tokyo, where he took his Masters in International Business. He has also taken a number of courses on management in Japan. Among his extensive diplomatic experiences, he worked as Colombian Consul in Tokyo 1976-1982, chargé d'affaires for Colombia in Japan in 1979-1980, and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Colombia to the OAS in 1995-1997.

He was Colombian Ambassador to the Government of Austria in 1998-1999, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations in 1998-1999; Ambassador to the Russian Federation in 1999-2001; Ambassador to the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden (2004-2006), concurrent for Norway (2004-2006), Finland (2004-2006), Iceland (2005-2006) and Denmark (2004-2006).

He was also Ambassador of Colombia to the Kingdom of Belgium and to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Head of Mission to the European Union (2006-2011).

Carlos Holmes Trujillo was a member of the Constituent Assembly for the drafting of the 1991 Constitution, and Mayor of Cali in 1988-1990. And he was the founder and first President of the Federation of Municipalities in 1989-1990.

From 1992 to 1994 he was Minister of Education, and then High Commissioner for Peace. He was Minister of the Interior in 1997-1998, and Minister Delegated with Presidential functions.

He is also recognized for his academic work as a lecturer in several universities in Colombia, including the San Buenaventura of Cali, and the Sergio Arboleda and Rosario universities in Bogota.