Reopening of the border: what is coming for Colombia and Venezuela

Seven years have passed since the estrangement occurred, in terms of international relations, between Colombia and Venezuela, and this Monday, September 26, a new page of history will be written between both nations with the reactivation of the border.

What is coming for each country? What is expected of this diplomatic restoration? Next, we explain.

(See: They authorize the first flight from Venezuela to Colombia for this Monday).

In August 2015, the president of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro, made the decision to close the border between your country and Colombia for the passage of vehicles.

Four years later, in February 2019, Maduro completely broke diplomatic relations with Colombia due to the support and recognition that the government of Ivan Duque gave the declared Venezuelan interim president, Juan Guaido.

In the first half of 2022, in the midst of the presidential campaign in Colombia, Gustavo Petro and Rodolfo Hernandez, The candidates who reached the final stretch to compete for the House of Nariño made it clear that they would reestablish relations with Venezuela.

After Petro’s triumph, that announcement came true and, this Monday, it will be a reality.

(See: Border: Colombia and Venezuela agree to work on security).

The act of reopening the border will be at 10 a.m. on Monday, the time at which the cargo passage will begin. It was defined that this will go through the Simón Bolívar (Villa del Rosario) and Francisco de Paula Santander (Cúcuta) international bridges.

Some estimates suggest that the border reactivation would leave Colombia 6.5 billion dollars in exports and the generation of more than 120,000 jobs.

In addition, political, exchange and cooperation impacts are expected for social, cultural and historical development; improvements in security and resurgence in commerce, and in goods and services.

“In political terms, having good relations with neighbors, increasing dialogue and building trust is very important for economic life, for conflict resolution and for peacefully solving problems that occur on the border and rebuilding that social, economic and border politician”, he analyzed Jalily Covezdy, coordinator of Political Sciences of the Grancolombiano Polytechnic.

Covezdy also believes that Venezuelan consumers and Colombian companies can do well, “because the former will receive products at a lower price, greater quantity and in any part of the Venezuelan territory, once the Colombian merchandise begins to enter legally“.