Petro’s Government announces the opening of another border crossing to Venezuela

The Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, informed this Monday that the Tienditas International Bridge linking the two countries in the north is another step towards the progressive opening of the land border.

“On Dec. 15 the Tienditas bridge (between Norte de Santander and Táchira) is enabled after the Venezuelan government completed the infrastructure to activate it,” Benedetti reported in a message on the social network Twitter.

According to the Colombian ambassador in Caracas, the initiative of the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, to promote economic and social integration between both countries has allowed the opening of a new bridge to allow the transit of vehicles.

This is the second bridge to be opened between the two countries since the announcement on September 26 of the resumption of air connections and cargo transport.

The border between Colombia and Venezuela had remained closed for seven years after Maduro blocked passage between the two Latin American countries during the government of Juan Manuel Santos due to the alleged presence of Colombian paramilitaries in his territory, a crisis that worsened with the expulsion of hundreds of Colombians from Venezuela.

After his victory in the elections, Petro expressed to Maduro his willingness to reestablish “the full exercise of Human Rights” between the two countries upon his arrival to the presidency after the outgoing Iván Duque put an end to diplomatic relations in February 2019.