Duque assured that the reactivation of the border between Colombia and Venezuela is a triumph of diplomatic pressure

Colombian President Iván Duque said on Tuesday that trade opening at the border with Venezuela is “a triumph of diplomatic pressure” and “of the people” and “no dictator”, in reference to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

In an intervention at the top of the governors of the municipality of Cúcuta, The president spoke of the reopening that took place on Tuesday of the Venezuelan state of Táchira with Colombia.

“It is a triumph of the diplomatic pressure, of the diplomatic seat”, underlined the president about the realization of the opening, which he also considers “a triumph of a people who claim (…) the well-being of the people” and “give no political applause”.

So, duke recalled that Colombia has opened the border since June and that, now that the passage of Venezuela is wanted, The Colombian authorities will do so in an “orderly” manner with “an examination” and a “guarantee” the presence of the Police Force and migration officials, as indicated ‘The weather’.

“Here what you want is to give all the order, so that people do not go through the trails, which are these illegal points, ”he insisted.

In front of the governors, he clarified that the government “accompanies” the dialogues of the departments with neighboring Venezuelan states, but he insisted on “clarifying” that “Colombians are not going to lend themselves to being useful idiots of the electoral demands that the dictatorship may have in the face of the local elections they want to conduct in Venezuela”.

“These gestures have a political intention”, declared the Colombian president, referring to the fact that the decision of the Venezuelan regime to open it is a strategy for municipal and regional elections which the Caribbean country will celebrate in November.

On the other hand, Duque discussed the possibility of Colombia reopening its consular services in Venezuela. “I have already discussed with Juan Guaidó, the interim president (…). We are open that if the conditions are met, this consular service can be restored, ”he added.

Despite the reopening, the situation at the Francisco de Paula Santander and Simón Bolívar international bridges, which connect the countries, does not seem to have been different from other conferences since the passage of Venezuela was only allowed in the so-called humanitarian corridor, according to Colombian media ‘The spectator’.

Talks between the authorities began in early September, when the Chavista candidate for Táchira’s government, Freddy Bernal, met with officials from Norte de Santander. Since then, through various dialogues between the two delegations, an agreement has been reached to install a hallway for Venezuelan students attending schools in Cúcuta.

The border between Colombia and Venezuela has been closed since 2019, when Colombia supported the Venezuelan opposition led by Juan Guaidó, in an attempt to bring “humanitarian aid” across the border, which dictator Nicolás Maduro rejected.

(With information from Europa Press)

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