The border between Venezuela and Colombia was fully reopened this Sunday, January 1, following the inauguration of the old Tienditas bridge, now renamed Atanasio Girardot, the epicenter of years of crisis between the two countries.
The border between Colombia and Venezuela remained closed for seven years after 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 worsened with the expulsion of hundreds of Colombians from Venezuela.
The bridge was completed in 2015, but was never inaugurated due to political problems between the governments of the two countries. In 2019, Venezuelan authorities blocked the passage through this road infrastructure with containers, after the opposition tried to bring alleged humanitarian aid into the country, which Caracas described as an invasion attempt.
Maduro, after restoring the border crossing, has been «happy for the opening of the border crossings between Colombia and Venezuela», as he has expressed through his profile on the social network Twitter.
Thus, the Venezuelan president said that this measure «allows to continue taking important steps for the full restoration of trade, economic, respectful and peaceful relations between two brotherly peoples».
The government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro has been working to restore relations with Venezuela and on September 26 it was announced the resumption of air connections and cargo transportation.
«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 Bogota, Felix Plasencia, through his Twitter account.
Venezuelan and Colombian authorities toured the bridge to inaugurate the crossing of this road infrastructure that connects the department of Norte de Santander with the Venezuelan state of Táchira (west).
For his part, the governor of Táchira, Freddy Bernal, assured that «the bridge will guarantee the prosperity of both Norte de Santander and Táchira».
«I am grateful for the presence of the ministers of the Republic of Colombia, and we are at your disposal to continue advancing on this path of peace, unity and fraternity», said Bernal.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
