By Ashoke RajNew Delhi [India], September 17 (ANI): Ahead of the high-level delegation meeting between India and Colombia, the envoy of Colombia on Friday praised the Indian pharmaceutical ecosystem and said it is an example for others to follow.

The Vice President of Colombia Marta Lucia Ramirez, who is also the External Affairs Minister, and several senior officials are likely to visit India on September 30.

Ahead of this meeting, Colombian Ambassador to India Mariana Pachecoto also expressed her enthusiasm for the Indian pharmaceutical industry.

"President and Vice president of Colombia have decided to promote the recovery of the pharmaceutical companies and the pharma industry in Colombia. We are looking to India as an example to follow," Mariana told ANI.

"She hold both the office, vice president and minister of foreign affairs. She will be leading a delegation along with minister of health and minister of science and technology in Colombia and will be visiting not only the Indian Government but the ministry of health and science and the secretary of biotechnology including the secretary of pharma ICMR and another agency of Indian Govt and also Indian pharmaceutical companies," the Colombian Ambassador added.

The Colombian Ambassador to India is impressed with the way infrastructure is developing in the pharmaceutical sector. The Colombian envoy stressed that the Indian pharmaceutical industry is an example from which they need to learn.

"First of all we need to learn...we need to learn from you (India)...learn from your experience and admire your industry, the way India has built up the ecosystem for promotion the pharma industry. So first we have to learn, second we are trying to learn about research," Ambassador Marian Pascheco told ANI.The Colombian high-level delegation is also set to visit Hyderabad and Pune and experience India's pharma companies and their eco-system during their visit to India.

"We are going to Hyderabad and Pune too and learn how Indian built the whole ecosystem of pharma. We need your technology, we wish to receive your very genres, your experience and your technology and of course your co-operation and capacity building for Colombian talent in pharmaceuticals," the Ambassador told ANI.

With the whole world grappling with great medical challenges after the COVID pandemic, Colombia is also one of the victims. Colombia does not have its own COVID vaccine and the country is completely dependent on foreign vaccines. In the upcoming high-level visit, several Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) are expected to be signed between the two countries in the field of pharma.

"We are looking forward to sign an MOU... with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on areas such as vaccine production, tropical diseases and clinical trials. We also hope to sign an MOU on biotechnology to promote and collaborate in the field of biotechnology in the capacity building technology transfer in learning from each other's experience, especially from Indian experience.

"We are going to set up working groups to implement and MOU have been signed in the past with the Ministry of health between two countries and also in science and technology are working for the group again in this area for biomedicines and biotechnology, nuclear biology in this field related to the pharma and the research and development of pharma," the Colombian envoy said.

In addition, the Colombian envoy shared that delegation-level talks and an important meeting with the top Government of India officials include the President of India and the Minister of External Affairs and other dignitaries of the nation. (ANI)