Expectations of businessmen in Cúcuta due to the opening of the Colombia-Venezuela border

Trade ambitions are high for merchants in the city of Cúcuta, in northeastern Colombia, given the imminent reopening of the border with Venezuela scheduled for Monday, September 26.

The 2,219-kilometer border shared by Colombia and Venezuela reopens in its entirety after seven years of having closed its vehicular passage when in 2015 the Government of Nicolás Maduro ordered the closure.

“We have all the documents in order and we happily share that commercial exchange, we thank the departmental and national government and Venezuela,” he told the voice of americaDiego Bohórquez, transporter businessman from Cúcuta.

Relations between the two countries stagnated in 2019, after former President Iván Duque launched a campaign to seek the removal of Nicolás Maduro from power.

On January 23, 2019, the Venezuelan opposition leader and president of the Legislative Assembly elected in 2015, Juan Guaidó, proclaimed himself interim president of Venezuela and immediately received the recognition and support of Iván Duque, who branded Maduro as a “dictator”. ”.

A month later, Guaidó led a strategy to bring humanitarian aid to Venezuela from Colombia, with a concert to pressure Maduro to allow the entry of food and medicine, which sparked riots. Maduro later ordered to close the border and barricade the border bridges.

Impact of these tensions on trade

Trade has been the main affected, according to figures from the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, trade between the two countries reached its best figure in 2008 when it exceeded 7,000 million dollars. From that date, until 2015 it fell back to about 1,331 million and in 2020 it was just 221 million dollars.

Since the inauguration of the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, the first left-wing government in the South American country, the president reestablished diplomatic relations and recognized Maduro as the legitimate president, appointing Armado Benedetti as Colombia’s ambassador in Caracas, who has been optimistic about the growth of trade.

“President Gustavo Petro, I will surprise you when we reach 10,000 million dollars in commercial exchange, when we benefit the more than 8,000,000 Colombians who live on the border. No imaginary line will separate us as brothers again. Thank you for your trust! ”, Benedetti wrote on his Twitter account after his appointment as ambassador to Venezuela.

The commander of the Metropolitan Police of Cúcuta, Colonel Juan Ramírez, mentioned to the voice of america that logistics and security operations are ready to guarantee the passage of cargo over the bridges.

“We already have a device made up of men and women from the Cúcuta metropolitan area to guarantee safety on these bridges, both on the Simón Bolívar and on the General Santander,” he said.

“We have already done an analysis for the issue of strategic planning of the Police service with the idea is to cover the two bridges and that people do not have any inconvenience when it comes to transferring cargo and crossing the border on foot, as has been done for a long time. time,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ramiro Suárez, a Colombian plastics businessman, assured the VOA that, despite the challenges, they already have everything ready to be able to take their products to the entire Venezuelan territory.

“Venezuela has a production deficit right now and we are going to support them. The box contains 2,500 units. 50 packages of (plastic) cups destined for the Venezuelan market”, he indicated.

Due to the lack of communication and cooperation that did not exist between the two countries in a formal way, the authorities ask for calm before the controls that will be carried out on the side of the two borders.

“The important thing is that they have patience because the controls are going to be reviewed, that people do not feel limited in their mobility, the restrictions must be complied with, the requirements must be met, what Migration Colombia demands, what the Force demands. Public, we must do it in an orderly manner and that we do not have difficulties in coexistence and citizen security, “said Colonel Juan Ramírez, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Cúcuta.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.