BOGOTA, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos gave his final independence day address on Friday, telling Colombians that the country's future was bright.
In the address, celebrating Colombia's 208 years of independence, Santos stated that "last year, I shared with you the enormous joy that the end of the armed conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) brought to our country," he said.
"In this message, my last as president of the Republic, it gives me great satisfaction to tell you that this new nation, which for a long time we could only imagine, begins to take shape on the horizon of history," he added.
Santos, who will leave his office in August after completing two terms as president, recognised the challenges of security, development and inequality facing his country in the post-conflict period.
Colombia is a "country that is closing great social gaps, a county becoming more just, with improved education, with more employment; a more dignified nation," he said.
The president also spoke of the country's future interactions with the world, stating that the country now "receives ever increasing investment, with an economy in the ascendancy ... Colombia is opening itself to the world and will come to know its immense riches and treasures."
He acknowledged the country's suffering due to the civil war for the past more than 50 years, but emphasized the need for Colombians to move past hate and form a tolerant, inclusive society with opportunities for all.
Santos became Colombian president in 2010. In November 2016, his government reached a definite peace agreement with FARC.
For his work to reach the peace agreement, Santos received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2016.
