The bridge, which had been closed for nearly seven years, was designed to ease congestion on two binational bridges within the space and facilitate commerce.
(AP)
Colombia and Venezuela have opened a key bridge linking the international locations that had been closed for nearly seven years amid political tensions, launching an period of improved relations below Colombia’s new leftist president.
Delegations led by Colombian commerce minister German Umana and the governor of Venezuela’s Tachira state, Freddy Bernal, met in the midst of the “Tienditas” bridge linking Tachira and Colombia’s Norte de Santander state for the opening ceremony on Sunday.
“From today, all the border crossings are open for transport,” stated Bernal, including that the political will existed to proceed bettering relations between the neighbors.
Construction of the bridge led to 2016, nevertheless it was by no means inaugurated due to the political disaster between the South American international locations. The bridge, which value greater than $32 million to construct, was designed to ease congestion on the 2 different binational bridges within the space and facilitate commerce.
In 2019, Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolás Maduro ordered greater than a dozen cargo containers positioned on the bridge to symbolically block it to protest makes an attempt by the opposition to convey humanitarian support into Venezuela from Colombia.
Diplomatic and business relations between Colombia and Venezuela had been reestablished in September following the inauguration of Gustavo Petro – a former guerrilla – as Colombia’s president.
READ MORE: Venezuela, Colombia conform to reestablish diplomatic relations
Key image of restoration of relations
”Tienditas” was the final remaining crossing linking the international locations to be reopened alongside their 2,200-kilometre (1,367-mile) border following the restoration of relations.
“In political terms, ‘Tienditas’ is the symbol of the recovery of dialogue between the two countries,” stated Ronal Rodríguez, a researcher on the Venezuela Observatory in Colombia’s Universidad del Rosario.
Pedro Benítez, a political analyst and professor on the Central University of Venezuela, instructed The Associated Press the important thing image of the restoration of relations was the primary face-to-face assembly between Petro and Maduro in November.
Benitez stated the reestablishment of commerce relations between the neighbors to date has been “very bumpy” as a result of incoming Colombian merchandise have been very costly as a consequence of “non-institutional obstacles attributed to Venezuelan officials.”
The resumption of economic ties started with the enabling of site visitors throughout the Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander bridges in September.
From then till November, 385 vehicles handed over the bridges, most from Colombia into Venezuela carrying merchandise akin to medical provides, fiber optics, textiles, bathroom paper and cardboard. Coiled metal, motors and pipes had been transported from Venezuela into Colombia.
Between January and October 2022, whole commerce between the 2 international locations reached $512 million, a rise from $394 million in all of 2021, however nonetheless a protracted methods from the $7 billion in bilateral commerce seen in 2008.
READ MORE: Venezuela, Colombia reopen border after seven years
Source: AP
