Colombian and Ecuadorean authorities will meet Tuesday morning to work towards restoring diplomatic relations, despite Ecuadorean extradition requests for Colombian officials.
The meeting is the latest in a series of attempts to repair the two nations’ strained relationship.
Colombia recently suspended negotiations with Ecuador after an Ecuadorean judge sought to extradite former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos and Commander of the Amed Forces, Freddy Padilla de Leon.
Ecuador broke diplomatic ties with Colombia on March 3 2008 after the Colombian army bombed a FARC guerrilla encampment on Ecuadorian soil without previously notifying Ecuador’s authorities.
Ecuador now wants Colombian officials to bear responsibility for the incursion that killed the FARC’s number two, Raul Reyes and 25 others, including an Ecuadorean citizen.
The meeting will focus on security and the development of a bi-national program to manage the Colombian-Ecuadorean border, El Espectador reported.