Colombian President Alvaro Uribe expressed hope that his nation’s relations with Ecuador will improve, after receiving a phone call from Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, reports Univision.
Correa phoned Uribe while the Ecuadorean head of state was aboard Colombian navy vessel “Gloria” in the Ecuadorean port city Guayaquil.
“Thank you, president, I thank you. Your visit gives us Colombians reason to feel calm, optimistic and proud, it deepens the brotherhood with the people of Ecuador,” Uribe told Correa during their four minute phone conversation.
After hanging up, Uribe, who was attending a student conference in Armenia at the time, told the students present that it is important for all the countries in the region to follow Ecuador’s example and commit to fighting terrorism.
Correa’s phone call was received as a conciliatory gesture, following tense relations between the neighboring nations in recent years.
Ecuador froze diplomatic relations with Colombia in March 2008, after the Colombian army bombed a FARC camp on Ecuadorean territory. The attack killed 25 people, including FARC leader “Raul Reyes,” one Ecuadorean, and four Mexicans.
In response, an Ecuadorean judge issued a warrant for the arrest of former Colombian defense minister and Partido de la U presidential candidate Juan Manuel Santos, for his role in the raid.
During a live presidential debate, Santos said he was “proud” to have authorized the operation, described by Ecuadorean officials as a “legal monstrosity.”
Santos then accused Correa of interfering in the Colombian electoral process, a charge Correa denies.