Venezuela and Colombia open a binational bridge to boost trade

The authorities of Venezuela and Colombia inaugurated on Sunday the Atanasio Girardot international bridge, which will allow the passage of passenger and cargo vehicles across the border between the two countries.

Completed in 2016 but never used, the bridge, also known as Tienditas, was inaugurated with a ceremony led by authorities from both countries, including Colombian Trade Minister Germán Umana and Transportation Minister Guillermo Reyes, as well as the Governor of Venezuelan border state of Táchira, Freddy Bernal.

The opening constitutes the most recent step towards the normalization of relations between the two countries after the inauguration of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in August.

Ties between neighboring nations had soured after former President Iván Duque joined the United States and dozens of other countries in supporting opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader in 2019, as part of an attempt to isolate president Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan opposition put an end to Guaidó’s interim government on Friday.

All the border crossings between Colombia and Venezuela in the Norte de Santander area have already been fully reactivated, Reyes said on Twitter.

The Tienditas bridge is expected to boost trade between the two countries. Colombian exports to Venezuela fell to about US$330 million in 2021 from US$6 billion in 2008. Colombian authorities expect total trade to reach US$4-5 billion by the end of Petro’s presidency.

With information from Bloomberg