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The arrival of Gustavo Petro to the Presidency of Colombia opened the door for Bogotá and Caracas to fully reestablish their diplomatic presence and, more recently, trade on the border. The closure of this had seriously affected the commerce and the life of many families that live in the adjoining territories. What does this reopening of borders mean for bilateral relations between Colombia and Venezuela? We analyze it in our program.
Colombia and Venezuela share an extensive common border of about 2,200 kilometers long. This was closed in 2015 due to political differences between the countries, but the most tense moment came with the breakdown of relations in 2018, when the then Colombian president Iván Duque recognized, along with 50 other countries, Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela. .
According to official figures presented by the Colombian Government, the exchange between the two countries for the year 2006 reached 2,000 million dollars per year, a figure that increased to 5,000 million dollars per year in 2008. Currently, this exchange, due to the closure, only reaches 300 million annually. The Colombian ambassador in Caracas, Armando Benedetti, has said that they are optimistic and expect the exchange to reach 10,000 million annually.
The Colombian-Venezuelan border is porous and difficult to control, which is why, despite its closure, there is clandestine transit of people, smuggling and mafias that operate there, taking control of the area and generating serious crime problems. human rights violations and illegal economy.
What does the reestablishment of relations, opening of the border, reestablishment of flights, and political rapprochement between Bogotá and Caracas represent for both countries and for the region? We analyze it in this edition of El Debate together with our guests:
– Carmen Beatriz Fernández, political consultant at DataStrategia and professor at the University of Navarra.
– Víctor Mijares, professor of political science and global studies at the Universidad de los Andes.
