Colombia and Venezuela on Sunday opened a key bridge linking the countries that had been closed for almost seven years amid political tensions, launching a new era of improved relations under Colombia’s new leftist president.
Delegations led by Colombian trade minister Germán Umaña and the governor of Venezuela's Tachira state, Freddy Bernal, met in the middle of the “Tienditas” bridge for an opening ceremony with balloons the colors of each country's flag.
Construction of the bridge linking Tachira and Colombia’s Norte de Santander state ended in 2016, but it was never inaugurated because of the politic crisis between the South American countries. The bridge, which cost more than $32 million to build, was designed to ease congestion on the two other binational bridges in the area and facilitate trade.
