Venezuela and Colombia fully reopen shared border - Reuters Canada

CARACAS, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Venezuela and Colombia volition afloat reopen their shared borderline connected January 1 to let transition of cargo and rider transport via the cross-border Tienditas bridge, Colombia Migration said successful a connection connected Saturday.

The South American countries already reopened successful September their borderline crossing successful the Tachira state, successful occidental Venezuela, aft governmental ties strengthened nether Colombia's caller president, Gustavo Petro.

Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, appointed ambassadors successful Caracas and Bogota, respectively.

Colombian authorities person said since September that the reopening of the shared 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) borderline betwixt the 2 countries would beryllium progressive.

Last week, Venezuelan authorities officials were supervising the infrastructure of the Tienditas bridge.

"We wholly reopen the borderline betwixt our countries successful bid to warrant the question of cargo and passengers, and to beforehand commercialized and tourism successful Colombia and Venezuela, not lone by onshore but besides by aerial and river", said Colombia's Minister of Transport Guillermo Reyes Gonzalez.

Elsewhere, radical and cargo tin already transverse the borderline via 2 bridges successful Tachira arsenic good arsenic the occidental Zulia state. Flights betwixt the capitals Caracas and Bogota resumed successful November.

The commercialized speech betwixt the 2 countries is worthy astir $580 million, according to authoritative information from Colombia.

Reporting by Mayela Armas; editing by Diane Craft

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