Trade between Colombia and Venezuela has increased and it is estimated that by the end of 2024 the figure will exceed 1 billion dollars, since currently is close to 700 million dollars, said Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo on Friday, September 13.
“A very interesting fact from the Ministry of Commerce that ProColombia gave us is that in these 10 years that we had ups and downs in the diplomatic relationship with Venezuela, including border closures, we stopped receiving 1,000 million dollars from the exchange between the two countries,” Murillo said after a meeting with the governors of the border area with Venezuela, held in Cúcuta, capital of Norte de Santander.
The working meeting was held after several postponements and discussed the situation in the oil-producing country and its impact on the border.
Murillo recalled that trade between Colombia and Venezuela was at 7 billion dollars a year and then dropped to 200 million, but now “With the restoration of relations and the consolidation of these dialogues, we are close to 700 million,” Murillo pointed out.
The keys to continue growing
Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo.
Sergio Acero – The Weather
The Colombian foreign minister was emphatic that revitalizing the border, the most commercially active in the country, has three axes. The first is to maintain the open and dynamic border, strengthening integration mechanisms.
(See here: President Petro will attend the national assembly for reforms: what topics will he address?)
The second thing is to continue moving forward in “the consolidation and negotiation of peace talks, which is very important, and third, we must continue to facilitate understanding between Venezuelans through dialogue for political peace in Venezuela, and it is very important to strengthen not only this dialogue between Bogotá and Caracas, but also between the authorities and communities on the border of the binational zone,” Murillo pointed out.
The governors participated in this meeting from Arauca, Norte de Santander and delegates from the governorates of Boyacá, Cesar, Guainía and La Guajira, in which they analyzed the progress of relations between both countries and the current situation.
Venezuela and Colombia resumed their diplomatic relations, broken in 2019, after the arrival to power of President Gustavo Petro, a process that has advanced with the reopening of the border in September, after seven years closed to vehicles, and the reactivation of air connections in November.
Dialogues with the ELN and the FARC
The governor of Norte de Santander, William Villamizar, assured that they agree with the other governors that a good relationship with Venezuela should be maintained, that the border should be kept open and that a commercial relationship should continue to be promoted, while they asked to continue with the peace negotiations with the guerrillas. of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the dissidents of the FARC, who have a presence in this border area.
(Continue here: What is happening? The environmental license to explore an offshore gas well remains suspended)
“That is why we ask the foreign minister to continue the dialogue with the FARC (dissidents) and also to find ways to restart dialogue with the ELN,” Villamizar said.
He recalled that “During the time when there was a bilateral ceasefire (which ended with the ELN on August 3), attacks and murders were reduced, and today (…) we regret the deaths of soldiers and police in recent days.”
The peace negotiations between the government and the guerrillas are going through a critical moment due to the ELN’s demands that the executive remove them from the list of terrorist groups, among other disagreements.
EFE
