After a year and a half of severed diplomatic ties, the foreign ministers of Ecuador and Colombia met last night in New York to begin talks about restoring relations.
Fander Falconí, Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs, said the discussions “have begun a process…and we aspire to achieve what our countries desire. Our countries have [peaceful intentions], and this is the message that we want to project.” Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez also expressed a desire for “a normalization of relations.”
The demise of relations between Ecuador and Colombia began March 3, 2008, after the Colombian army crossed the Ecuadorian border in pursuit of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas in Ecuadorian territory. The raid left 25 dead including the head guerrilla leader “Raúl Reyes.”
