Lapatilla
The formal announcement made by Colombia and Venezuela on the reopening of the border in the Apure-Arauca section has not yet been made effective, as was planned for this Monday September 26th.
By Maria Eugenia Diaz // Correspondent
The Governor of the Apure State, Eduardo Piñate, stated through “Radio Fe y Alegría Noticias” after 11:00 am this Monday, from the José Antonio Páez International Bridge in El Amparo, that links Apure State with Arauca Department (Colombia), that the reopening of the Apure-Arauca border will be done in a progressive and scheduled manner, as ordered by Nicolás Maduro and the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro.
“We came to review the situation and the mobilization of our healthcare personnel, the healthcare comptroller, epidemiology, the Armed Forces, Customs personnel, and are preparing ourselves for the moment in which the reopening of this border crossing becomes effective. We salute this fact, because it marks a very important point in the normalization of relations between Venezuela and Colombia, between the State and the Government, because the relations of our peoples have never been broken,” added the regional authority in a live radio broadcast.
Military sources consulted by La Patilla in Apure State announced that Major General (G/D) Wilfredo Medrano, commander of the Apure Integral Operational Zone (ZODI-31), is in Caracas at a high-level meeting with the military authorities, to finalize everything related to this subject. A statement from ZODI-Apure is expected to be made in the next few days.
The Mayor of the José Antonio Páez Municipality, José “Chema” Romero, announced this Sunday September 25th the recovery and cleanup works of the José Antonio Páez International Bridge, a border crossing between El Amparo, Apure State, and the Colombian Department of Arauca.
Currently, the river crossing on canoes is active, and is how residents on both sides of the Apure-Arauca border areas travel daily to attend their jobs, buy medicines, food and attend medical check-ups.
Journalist Crisma del Mar Tovar recalled that on August 19, 2015, the government of Nicolás Maduro ordered the “provisional closure” of the border, but it has been seven years since there has been any commercial transit between Colombia and Venezuela.
“In Arauca at 10:00 am there will be a protocolary event with the presence of only regional authorities of the Department Arauca and Apure State. There will be no vehicular passage, no goods or cargo, no type of investment in infrastructure or economic alliances were made to reactivate the region. The local producers did not even receive an invitation to this event and neither did the press. So far everything is up in the air, nothing is certain,” she published on her information web page.
