Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa announced Friday that relations between the two countries have been completely restored, reports El Tiempo.
Speaking at a press conference in Guyana after a Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) meeting, the two presidents said the process of restoring ambassadors will begin immediately.
“We have decided to fully reestablish our diplomatic relations between Ecuador and Colombia and we are going to send ambassadors that should be in place before Christmas,” Santos said.
His Ecuadorean counterpart said, “I’m very happy, this is a very important step for the region. I’m very happy about this news for the Colombian and Ecuadorean people.”
Ecuador broke off relations with Colombia in March 2008 after Colombia carried out a raid on a FARC camp in Ecuadorean territory, killing 26 people including the rebels’ supreme commander “Raul Reyes.” Ecuador believed the raid to be a violation of the country’s sovereignty.