Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa on Friday praised his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos for his “great spirit of integration.”
In an interview with Spanish news agency Efe, the Ecuadorean head of state said that Friday’s restablishment of ties between the two neighbors was a “great symbol” that helps overcome feelings of “hurt” and “resentment” caused by the March 2008 Colombian attack on a FARC camp on Ecuadorean territory.
“There were no more obstacles to fully normalize diplomatic relations,” Correa said, adding that “especially with President Santos, who has shown great seriousness and a great spirit of Latin American integration” the possibility of Colombia again violating Ecuadorean sovereignty “seems almost nonexistent.”
Correa stressed that “we can not forget the past. We can not delete the past and should not forget the past, but must look towards the future.”
Ecuador and Colombia officially announced the restoration of ties at the summit of the Union of South American Nations held in Georgetown, Guyana.