MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Colombia and Venezuela have agreed to immediately return their ambassadors, who had been recalled earlier over an impasse caused by border tensions, to the both countries’ diplomatic missions, the Ecuadorian president and a mediator in the bilateral talks said Monday.
"The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia agreed to immediately return ambassadors," NTN24 TV channel quoted Rafael Correa as saying after the negotiations on the issue in the capital of Ecuador, Quito.
The two sides have also reportedly agreed to conduct an investigation into the situation on the border and hold meetings at the ministerial level for the settlement of existing border disputes. The first ministerial meeting will take place on September 23 in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas.
Tensions on the Venezuelan-Colombian border have escalated since late August. After Colombian smugglers injured three Venezuelan soldiers and a civilian, Maduro ordered to close parts of the border for an indefinite period and declared a state of emergency for 60 days. In late August, both states' ambassadors were withdrawn "for consultations" from the embassies.
