An international mediator could help Colombia and Ecuador to establish
new diplomatic ties between the two countries, Ecuador’s Foreign
Minister said Thursday.
Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Fander Falconi met with his Colombian counterpart Jaime Bermudez Wednesday on the side of a mini summit and the Community of Andean Nations and agreed “to find a mechanism of dialogue” to bring the two countries closer agian.
Falconi told the Ecuadorean Radio Sonorama that both Foreign Ministers considered “the chance to approach an international mediation process” which must be “conducted respectful but firm.” However, Falconi said that this problem cannot “be simply solved overnight” or “with a handshake.”
The bilateral relations between Ecuador and Colombia “are highly complex” not only including safety but also trade and humanitarian issues like refugees, Falconi explained.
The Ecuadorean minister noted that an international mediator could “attend perfectly the needs of both countries”. The most important thing is to bring the political leaders of both countries closer to a dialogue, Falconi added.
Ecuador froze its diplomatic relations with Colombia after Colombia bombed a FARC camp on Ecuadorean territory in March 2008 without warning the Ecuadorean authorities. The relations between both countries have been strained ever since.