The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP) and the National Government of Colombia reached a Final Peace Agreement after almost 4 years of Peace Talks .

In a ceremony with the participation of delegates from the guarantor countries, Cuba and Norway, as well as the assistance of national and international press, the parties announced that a Final Agreement has been reached.

The representatives of the guarantor countries read Joint Communiqué 93 which officially communicates that a Final, Comprehensive and Definitive Agreement has been reached on all the points of the agenda:

Comprehensive Rural Reform Political Participation End of Conflict Solution to the problem of Illicit Drugs Victims

During his speech, the head of the National Government´s delegation, Humberto de la Calle, mentioned that peace “opens the door to a more inclusive society, in which no one will be afraid of their security as a consequence of their political ideas” and that “we should not just celebrate the silence of guns, but the opportunity of a new path”.

Regarding the implementation of the agreements, De la Calle stated that “the enforcement of the agreement depends on the Colombian society, first, with the vote [making reference to the plebiscite] and then with the commitment”.

Iván Márquez, head of the Peace Delegation of the FARC-EP also gave a speech in which one of his opening phrases stated: “I believe that we have won the most beautiful battle, the Peace of Colombia” to which he later on referred to as starting point for the construction of a new society.

“We have the conviction that we have accurately interpreted the feeling of our comrades of arms and ideas, who always fought in the belief of a political solution to the conflict and the construction of a just country”

Márquez also made reference to the enforcement of the agreements saying “we will have peace if the agreements are respected; the people of Colombia are to be the main guarantors of compliance”.

Read: The Most Beautiful of All Battles, speech by Iván Márquez

What's Next?

For the Final Agreements to be enforced and to be ready for implementation, two important events must take place and both with a solid "yes".

The first event is the 10th FARC-EP guerrilla conference, which is the maximum stance of decision within the organization in which the route towards peace and the future of the organization will be decided.

Also, the people of Colombia must approve the Final Agreement through a voting mechanism, in this case a plebiscite. This plebiscite will take place on the second of Oktober, as president Juan Manuel Santos announced yesterday.