the border between Venezuela and Colombia has been completely reopened this Sunday, January 1, after the inauguration of the old Tienditas bridge, now renamed Atanasio Girardot, epicenter of years of crisis between the two countries.
The border between Colombia and Venezuela remained closed for seven years after the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, blocked the passage between the two Latin American countries during the Government of Juan Manuel Santos due to the alleged presence of Colombian paramilitaries in his territory, a crisis that it worsened with the expulsion of hundreds of Colombians from Venezuela.
The bridge was completed in 2015, but it was never inaugurated due to political problems between the governments of the two countries. In 2019, the Venezuelan authorities blocked the passage through this road infrastructure with containers, after the opposition tried to bring alleged humanitarian aid into the country that Caracas described as an attempted invasion.
They celebrate the reopening
The Government of the Colombian President, Gustavo Petroworks to restore relations with Venezuela and on September 26 the resumption of air connections and cargo transportation was announced.
“From the border between Colombia and Venezuela we accompany the celebration of the opening of the Atanasio Girardot binational bridge, together with national and municipal authorities, a sign of commitment and cooperation between both nations,” said the Venezuelan ambassador in Bogotá, Félix Plasencia, through from your Twitter account.
The Venezuelan and Colombian authorities toured the bridge to inaugurate the passage through this road infrastructure that connects the Norte de Santander department with the Venezuelan state of Táchira (west).
For his part, the governor of Táchira, Freddy Bernal, has assured that “the bridge will guarantee the prosperity of both North Santander and Táchira.”
“I appreciate the presence of the ministers of the Republic of Colombia, and we place ourselves at your service to continue advancing on this path of peace, unity and brotherhood”, Bernal pointed out.
