Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa will attend the inauguration of incoming Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on August 7, according to Andes, the Ecuadorean state news service.
Speaking to journalists in the coastal town of Montecristi, Correa said that Maria Angela Holguin, Santos’ foreign minister, had handed an official invitation to her future counterpart Ricardo Patiño. Correa affirmed that he accepts the invitation “with much pleasure”, Andes reports.
This announcement puts an end to the confusion over Correa’s invitation, after claims by Correa’s staff that they had not received an official invitation.
Ties between the two countries appear to be improving, as the new Colombian administration prepares to take the reins. Holguin’s “courtesy visit” on Monday went well, with both ministers speaking warmly of a fresh start in relations between the two Andean nations. A similar meeting is due to take place Thursday between Colombian Vice President-elect Angelino Garzon and his Ecuadorean counterpart Lenin Moreno.
Relations between the neighboring countries broke down after the Colombian military raided a FARC camp on Ecuadorean soil in March 2008.
