Colombia and Venezuela consider reopening borders closed since 2015

The Colombian and Venezuelan authorities met on Friday to assess the possibility of reopening the bordersClosed unilaterally by Caracas since 2015.

As mentioned Freddy Bernal, appointed protector of the state of Tachira, “Following the instructions of Nicolas Maduro, we were received by the delegation of the government of Norte de Santander”. The meeting, on behalf of the Colombian side, was attended by the Border Secretary of the province of Norte de Santander, Victor Bautista.

Bernal confirmed through a message on his Twitter account that It is “the first official meeting between the authorities to work on proposals for a gradual and controlled opening of the Colombian-Venezuelan border.”

He also met the Venezuelan delegation “Speakers for the Trade and Industrial Unions of Norte de Santander”.

The takrins know firsthand the consequences of the criminal siege. Together with the various sectors we will move forward to achieve a progressive and beneficial openness.”, consider Bernal.

temporary humanitarian corridor

at present, The authorities confirmed the opening of a temporary humanitarian corridor To allow passage for Venezuelan students doing their academic work in Norte de Santander, Colombia. And it will open at six in the morning this Saturday, so that 371 of these young people, from institutions in Cucuta and Villa del Rosario, can offer Saber exams.

According to initial reports, this corridor will be erected on the Simon Bolivar International Bridge and will serve as a pilot test for Decide whether to open a permanent corridor so that approximately 4,500 students can finish their school year under the confrontation model which have been proposed by the Ministries of Health and Education since July of this year.

In the words of Cucuta Education Minister Jessica Ramirez, “There are about 4,500 students who will gradually begin to pass through the humanitarian corridor. We felt very well behaved, we met and one of the results was the creation of a teaching committee on the spot”, which would tend to continue implementing actions that benefit young people in both countries.

Although everything appears to be going smoothly, there seem to be differences between what the Venezuelan national government intends and what the Tachira government is proposing. Understand that the former seeks to identify students who will cross the border by legal means, while the latter seeks a complete opening without additional bureaucratic procedures.

“The regional government’s proposal is to end the opening of borders and the removal of containersArturo Molina, Tachira’s director of education, said an ID card wouldn’t solve the problem, insisting it was “enough to keep the borders closed, Depriving border citizens of the possibility of earning a living from official trade And continue to generate a whole operation of the mafia.”

In 2015, Maduro ordered the closure of the border with neighboring Colombia, and since then The passage of immigrants and between the two peoples.

The other goal of the meeting is to combat the crimes they are exposed to such as extortion and smuggling Citizens of that country trying to cross into Colombia in search of a better future. These cross through illegal paths that can become risky.

(With information from Europa Press)

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