The foreign ministers of Colombia and Venezuela have signed 13 agreements intended to increase cooperation between the neighboring countries, according to a Thursday report on the government website.
The agreements were signed at the conclusion of the Binational Economic Meeting between the two countries in Caracas, the purpose of which was to identify areas for negotiations and to build productive ties between the two governments.
The agreements focused on themes such as the renewal of commercial relations, debt relief for Colombian exporters, border security, and technical assistance.
During the talks, Foreign Minister Maria Angela Hoguin asked the Venezuelan government to renew the pace of trade ties that existed prior to the bilateral crisis of 2010.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez responded by saying that he “will hurry to finalize the agreements, as I don’t want them to be left standing.”
The existing framework for trade agreements between the two nations is due to expire this April when Venezuela departs from the Andean Community of Nations (CAN).
At the end of the discussion, Hoguin announced that Colombia is ready to pursue further economic and security-related agreements, and discussed the ideas of renewing cross-border sales of Venezuelan fuel and bilateral tourism initiatives.
