By Alberto Suris
Luis Carlos Villegas, Ambassador of Colombia to the United States, visited the City of Lawrence on Thursday the 23er and his first stop was City Hall, where he had a friendly meeting with our Mayor Daniel Rivera.
Villegas was appointed Ambassador of Colombia to the United States on November 13, 2013, by President Juan Manuel Santos.
Throughout his career, Villegas has been a leader in both the public and private sectors, including serving most recently as President of the National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI), a position he held for more than 17 years. In addition, Villegas is a member of the Colombian government’s negotiating team in the ongoing peace talks with FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces.)
He reminded Colombians present the way it was when they were living in Colombia, when many of them decided to leave the country. He said Colombians lived ashamed of his country, that it was only known as a producer and exporter of drugs, murder and political corruption. “Many of us sheathed our passport so nobody would notice the green color of its cover and identify us as Colombians. Today, we display it proudly”, he said.
Villegas went on to highlight the progress of Colombia in terms of economy and security, the importance of continued support of the United States in an eventual post-conflict, and the role of Colombia in the region as an exporter of security, especially to countries in Central America.
Colombians who succeed
Alex Lopez and his mother, Norma E. Lopez stoped by Lawrence City Hall to greet his compatriot and Consul General of Colombia, as well as many others.
Today, Alex, with his company ALX Enterprises LLC is involved in the construction of a medical office building in Lawrence, adjacent to Lawrence General Hospital for $ 30 million.
The intent of the project, which also involves his father, Dr. Ernesto Lopez, well known urologist practicing in Lawrence, is to create medical offices from which they can better serve area hospitals and Boston.
Norma E. Lopez is an accomplished painter who has exhibited in various world capitals as well as in our Essex Art Center. Today, Norma is Governor of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
