MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov congratulated the Colombian people on the signing of the peace agreement between the country's government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and offered Russia’s assistance to the conflict settlement process, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has sent a message to Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia Maria Angela Holguin to congratulate her and Colombia's people on the conclusion of the peace treaty and wished them success in building a peaceful, democratic and prosperous Colombia," the statement read.
On Monday, the formal signing of a peace agreement between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government took place in the Colombian city of Cartagena. The representatives of the European Union, the United Nations, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) attended the ceremony.
"The minister stressed Russia's readiness to continue to lend support to the Colombian peace process, and to facilitate development of the bilateral relations, including with regard to opportunities which will arise as part of Colombia's post-conflict transformation," the ministry added.
Colombia was mired in a half-century war between the FARC and the Colombian government, which has claimed lives of a quarter of a million people. The two parties began peace talks in November 2012.
