Colombia President Juan Manuel Santos and his Ecuadorean counterpart Rafael Correa on Tuesday signed seven agreements for cooperation and development.
Both heads of state went over infrastructure, security, investment, tourism, education, and mining and labor issues.
The noteworthy agreements include a 50% reduction in tariffs for plane tickets between the two countries and a vow to pool technical and financial resources in order to finish the Rumichaca International Bridge expansion, both of which are aimed at increasing tourism. The Rumichaca bridge connects Colombia to Ecuador via Nariño and has been undergoing renovations in order to accommodate more traffic.
Also signed was a Social Security Agreement for Ecuadorians living in Colombia and vice versa, a reform of the “Esmeraldas Convention, which seeks to regulate the traffic and transport of persons, vehicles, river and sea vessels, aircraft and cargo between the two countries, [and] an agreement for the annual allocation of scholarships in higher education in Ecuador for students nominated by ICETEX [the Colombian Institute of Educational Credit and Study Abroad.]”