CARACAS: The Ministers of Foreign Affairs María Ángela Holguín (Colombia) and Delcy Rodríguez (Venezuela) will meet to address the border crisis that started last week, which has resulted in more than 1,000 Colombians deported from Venezuela.
The meeting will be held in Cartagena, Colombia. The officials will try to find joint solutions to the issues of drug trafficking and illegal armed groups on the binational border, as well as the humanitarian crisis arising against the backdrop of a state of emergency and a border shutdown ordered by Caracas, AFP reported.
Holguín, along with Colombian Minister of the Interior, Juan Fernando Cristo, and Minister of Defense, Luis Carlos Villegas, will voice their protest for the way deported Colombians have been ill-treated by Venezuelan authorities, according to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos’ remarks on Tuesday.
Colombia and Venezuela share a 2,219 km border. Both countries complain about the presence of guerrilla, paramilitary groups, drug traffickers, and smugglers of fuel and other products that are subsidized by the Venezuelan government.
