Visit of the Colombian War College to Oslo
Norwegian foreign and security policy and peace negotiations in Colombia were among the topics of the visit when NOREF, with Norwegian and Colombian partners, hosted the 2024 visit of the Colombian War College’s Course on Advanced Military Studies (CAEM) to Oslo.
In the first week of September, NOREF welcomed to Oslo a delegation of 17 high-ranking officials from the Colombian War College (Escuela Superior de Guerra). This visit is part of a long-standing Norwegian engagement with the Colombian military and was co-hosted by NOREF and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Norwegian Defense University College (NDUC), our Colombian partner Social Development Group (SDG) and the Colombian Embassy in Oslo. The CAEM group included officers from the navy, air force and army and was accompanied by the director of the Colombian War College, Brigadier General Jaime Alonso Galindo, and the co-directors of SDG, Ana Maria Restrepo and Alberto Lara.
The CAEM group met with representatives from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Armed Forces, including the Norwegian Defense Staff. The programme included discussions on current issues in Norwegian foreign and security policy, the Colombian peace negotiations, as well as international geopolitics and security. CAEM attended a workshop on negotiations and management of ceasefires, organized by NOREF with technical support of the Mediation Support Unit of DPPA/UN. The Colombian Ambassador to Norway hosted a reception to pay tribute to CAEM and to celebrate the long-standing alliance between Colombia and Norway.
NOREF has been working together with Social Development Group, the Norwegian Embassy in Bogota and the Colombian War College since 2014 and is honored to continue this successful cooperation between our institutions.
Photo: Håvard Madsbakken