Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin is meeting Thursday with her Ecuadorean counterpart in the latest step of the two countries to restore full diplomatic relations.
In 2008, Ecuador broke diplomatic ties with Colombia after a Colombian armed forces operation against a FARC camp in Ecuadorean territory killed an Ecuadorean citizen. The two countries have restored relations, but the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) is currently investigating a complaint Ecuador made against its neighboring country for the killing. Holguin has said that Colombia would “follow the processes established by the IAHCR.”
The two foreign ministers are also expected to discuss the recent confusion over the nationality of a child killed in a Colombian raid on FARC camp near the Ecuadorean border. The 12-year-old was found with both an Ecuadorean refugee card and a Colombian identity card, issed in Ipiales, Nariño where the raid took place. Colombian Minister of Defense Rodrigo Rivera announced Wednesday that the boy was in fact Colombian. Colombian authorities suspect that the child was recruited into the FARC against his will.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa said Wednesday it is possible that the boy and another person killed in a Colombian raid on a FARC camp in the department of Nariño were Ecuadorean, and that he was awaiting more information in the case.
Holguin and Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patiño will meet in Quito to discuss political, economic and border issues.
