Venezuela and Colombia held new talks Friday over Caracas' decision to close their shared border. The meeting was attended by Venezuelan defense minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and his Colombian counterpart Luis Carlos Villegas in the Colombian city of Santa Marta. ​During the talks, the ministers discussed a wide range subjects agreeing to improve inter-governmental communications in efforts to address border security concerns. Venezuelan and Colombian authorities also agreed to carry out several bilateral security initiatives such as the launch of joint military cooperation exercises. According to a bilateral government declaration, follow up discussions will be held next Monday in the Venezuelan city of Maracaibo. Venezuela closed several border crossings in August, after suspected paramilitaries attacked a military patrol, critically injuring three Venezuelan soldiers. The subsequent operations in the area have led to the capture of dozens of alleged paramilitaries, while also uncovering explosive-making operations, brothels employing minors and clandestine prisons that authorities say were likely used for kidnappings and tortures. During the operations over 1,000 undocumented Colombians were deported, sparking a row with Bogota. Some 22,000 Colombians returned to their country voluntarily, according to U.N. figures. Venezuela is home to more than 5.6 million Colombian migrants and refugees. The two countries share a porous 2,219 kilometer land border, and smuggling of heavily subsidized Venezuelan goods over the border to Colombia has become common, with a heavy impact on Venezuelans. Source URL |
