Santa Cruz, June 16 (RHC) -– UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised Cuba's role as host and observer of the ongoing peace talks in Havana between Colombia’s government and the country’s largest rebel group, the FARC.

The UN Secretary General met with Cuba’s President Raul Castro at the G-77 Summit in Bolivia to offer him praise on being the country to host the peace talks between the FARC and the Colombian government, according to a UN press release.

Ban stressed the importance of the ongoing negotiations and expressed hope that with these peace talks, Colombia’s 50-year armed conflict could finally be put to an end.

Last week, Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos announced initiating exploratory peace talks with the country’s second largest guerrilla group, the ELN.

Combined with the talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the secretary general hopes that this new development will contribute to ending the hemisphere’s longest armed conflict and to building a sustainable peace for the Colombian people,” said a UN spokesman.

Peace talks between the FARC and the Colombian government have been ongoing since November 2012 and are currently being held in Havana, Cuba.

So far, both parties have agreed upon issues of agrarian reform, political participation rights, and illicit drugs. Talks are currently underway regarding the issue of victims’ rights.