Chavez, Santos to meet in Colombia in April

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will make his third visit to Colombia since Juan Manuel Santos took Presidential office, W Radio reported Thursday.

Chavez will visit Colombia on April 1 as part of the re-establishment of relations between the neighbouring countries.

The picturesque colonial town Villa de Leyva in the Bocaya department will host the presidential meeting, which will focus on bilateral issues such as security along the border zone and the revival of trade operations between the two countries.

Trade was one of the areas hardest hit by the recent bilateral crisis, but both presidents seem intent on restoring the important sector.

Colombia previously indicated it is ready to negotiate a complementary economic agreement with Venezuela once its withdrawal from the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) is completed. Also on the agenda will be the repayment of Venezuelan debts to Colombian exporters which amount to about $800 million.

In November 2010 the two presidents announced that their bilateral relations were “on the right track” and they had become “new best friends.”

The restoration of relations has marked the beginning of a new era of collaboration that has so far seen the capture of several suspected guerrillas and criminals in Venezuela handed over to Colombian authorities.

 

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