Colombia-Venezuela relations
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| Colombia | Venezuela |
Colombia-Venezuela relations (Spanish: Relaciones colombo-venezolanas) refers to the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Colombia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The relationship has developed since the early 1500s, when Spanish empire colonizers created the Province of Santa Marta (now Colombia)[unreliable source?][1] and the Province of New Andalucia (now Venezuela).[2] The countries share a history for achieving their independence under Simon Bolivar and becoming one nation—the Gran Colombia—which dissolved in the 19th century.[3]
Since the 20th century the relationship has evolved with up and downs mostly regarding the Colombia-Venezuela maritime territory dispute over the Gulf of Venezuela. The lowest point in the relationship occurred on August 19, 1987 after the Colombian Corvette ARC Caldas (FM-52) trespassed into disputed waters and then President of Venezuela, Jaime Lusinchi ordered the Venezuelan Air Force to the area and coerced the Colombians. The standoff was resolved through diplomatic channels but the dispute remained.[4]
One of the main issues has been the large wave of Colombians that migrated to Venezuela in the 1970s and 1980s, working primarily in low-end jobs. Many Colombian immigrants were imprisoned in Venezuela under deplorable conditions, faced discrimination and endured human rights violations.[5] The Colombian armed conflict has also provoked impasses between the two countries. Military illegal incursions by the the two countries' military forces into each others' territory have been frequent since the conflict in Colombia escalated in the 1980s, which subsequently triggered forced displacements in Colombia and into Venezuela. Illegally armed groups also trespassed into Venezuela to commit crimes. Contraband flows from one territory to another depending on supply and demand along the shared porous border of 1,375 miles (2,210 km). Illegal products range from gasoline, drugs and weapons to stolen cars. Since 2002, the relationship between Colombia and Venezuela has fluctuated due to the ideological differences that separate Hugo Chávez and Alvaro Uribe. The relationship between the two countries once again reached a low point in November 2007 after a failed effort to achieve a humanitarian exchange, causing the relations to freeze.[6]
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[edit] History
- See also: Timeline of Colombia-Venezuela relations
These neighboring countries share a similar history as former colonies of the Spanish empire. During the colonial era the Guajira Peninsula—inhabited then by the Wayuu indigenous group—resisted the invasion of the Spaniards coming from Santa Marta and New Andalusia. This situation prevented both colonies from delimiting their territories in the area. The Wayuu tribes were finally subdued by the end of the colonial period with the independence of both colonies in the early 19th century. The new independent territories began formal negotiations to divide the Guajira peninsula in a longitudinal manner. Negotiations continuously failed and the parties asked Spain to intervene. In 1891 the Spanish crown emitted a concept but failed once again to delimit the border because of confusing geographical locations.[7]
[edit] 1922–1941
- End of land border dispute
Bilateral negotiations continued; in 1922 the Swiss Federal Council was petitioned to give a second opinion, which did not occur. In 1939 the Venezuelan government issued a decree imposing a maritime border line from the village of Castilletes in Guajira Peninsula to Paraguaná Peninsula which result in most of the Gulf belonging to Venezuela. The Colombian government reacted to this in the late 1940s asking the Venezuelan government to rectify and draw a meddle line in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In 1941 once again bilateral negotiations resumed settling the territorial border, but setting a new round of differences regarding the maritime territory.[7]
[edit] 1941–1987
On April 5, 1941 Colombia and Venezuela created the Tratado de delimitación terrestre y de navegación de ríos comunes (Common rivers navigation and terrestrial delimitation treaty).[8]
[edit] Secession of Los Monjes Archipelago
On November 22, 1952, the Colombian government renounces to the claims over the Los Monjes Archipelago.[8]
The treaty is signed by chancellors Esteban Gil Borges, from Venezuela and Luis López de Mesa, from Colombia, with the presence of the ambassadors Santiago Rodríguez and Alberto Pumarejo in the city of Cúcuta.[9]
[edit] 1987–1994
[edit] Corbeta Caldas crisis
On August 11, 1987, the Corbeta Caldas incident broke out. The Colombian vessel refused to leave disputed water arguing that those were waters pertaining to Colombia.[8] The Venezuelan governent reacted by sending a fleet of F-16 fighter jets and scramble over the ship almost engaging in combat. The Colombian vessel commander decided to return to Colombian waters and the situation was defused.
On June 20, 1989 Colombia and Venezuela created the Comisión de vecindad Colombo-Venezolana (Colombo-Venezuelan neighborhood Commission).[8]
On May 18, 1991, Colombia and Venezuela signed the Accord of Open Skies. Both countries also create the Comisión mixta para el control del tráfico de estupefacientes (Mixed Commission for the Control of Illegal Drugs Traffic).[8]
[edit] 1994–1998
- See also: Ernesto Samper and Rafael Caldera
In 1994 Colombian and Venezuelan government created the Comisión binacional de Fronteras (Combifron) or "Binational Commission of Frontiers" which intended to exchange military intelligence between the two countries.[8]
[edit] ELN incursion in Venezuela
On February 25, 1995 the Colombian guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN) attacked a fluvial military post, incursioning on the Venezuelan side and killing 8 Venezuelan and injuring 12 Marines.[8]
[edit] 1998–2002
- See also: Andres Pastrana, Hugo Chavez, and Pedro Carmona
On April 31, 1998, The National Liberation Army guerrilla (ELN) assaults the Colombian border town of Ragonvalia. After the attacks the guerrillas crossed the border into Venezuela. Venezuelan president Rafael Caldera authorized the Colombian Army to enter Venezuela and fight the guerrillas.[8]
[edit] Ballestas case
In February 2001 the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla commander José María Ballestas, accused in Colombia of hijacking an Avianca airplane, was captured in Venezuela but later released causing diplomatic tensions between the governments of Hugo Chavez and Andres Pastrana.[10]
ballestas was later recaptured by Venezuelan authorities and in December 2001, was extradited from Venezuela to Colombia.[10]
[edit] Venezuelan military incursion in Colombia
On March 21, 2000 Four Venezuelan helicopters and two airplanes invaded Colombian airspace and bombarded an area in the jungle region of Catatumbo, in the Department of North Santander. On April 23, Colombian and Venezuelan governments signed an accord of understanding the issues of population displacement. This in regards to the Colombian nationals displaced by the conflict and crossing into Venezuela. Between May and June of 2000, Venezuelan truckers blocked the border crossing between the two countries protesting the lack of guarantees for their safety in Colombia due to the constant attacks perpetrated by the Colombian guerrillas.[8]
[edit] Coup d'etat against Hugo Chavez
After the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt toppled Chávez for two days, Pedro Carmona fled house arrest and asked for political asylum at the Colombian ambassador's residence in Caracas, which he was later granted. The government of Hugo Chávez criticized the decision but granted Carmona safe passage out of Venezuela.
[edit] 2002–2008
- See also: Alvaro Uribe, Plan Colombia, Rodrigo Granda affair, Humanitarian exchange, and United States-Colombia relations
The relationship between the Hugo Chávez and Alvaro Uribe administrations has been marked by up and downs.
[edit] Rodrigo Granda
In 2004 the relationship became strained again in the Rodrigo Granda affair, with the kidnapping in Caracas of Colombian-Venezuelan naturalized guerrilla member Rodrigo Granda. Granda was transported by his captors to the border city of Cucuta in Colombia and taken into custody by the Colombian National Police on rebellion charges.
[edit] Post-humanitarian exchange negotiation
In late 2007 President Uribe, through his appointed negotiator Piedad Cordoba contacted Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to facilitate the humanitarian exchange negotiations of prisoners for hostages between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
During the 2007 Ibero-American Summit in a private meeting Uribe told Chávez not to contact Colombian military commanders. Two weeks after the summit, Senator Piedad Cordoba got on the phone with the General of the Colombian National Army Mario Montoya Uribe. The issue was reported to Uribe who publicly announced the interruption of Chávez and Cordoba as facilitators.
[edit] Operation Emmanuel
While the relationship between the two governments continued strained on December 27, 2007 Chavez publicly said that he had a plan set up to rescue of three hostages promised to Chavez by the FARC guerrilla in compensation. This after Colombian president Uribe decided to end the mediation by Chavez and Piedad Cordoba.
Operation Emmanuel consisted on using Venezuelan aircrafts in coordination with the International Red Cross to fly into Colombia and rescue the hostages from the FARC.
[edit] Operation Road to Freedom
In February 2008, the Venezuelan government launched a new operation to liberate four more hostages held by the FARC: Luis Eladio Perez, Orlando Beltran, Gloria Polanco and Jorge Eduardo Géchem all of them former senators kidnapped by the FARC in order to pressure the Colombian government.
[edit] 2008 South American diplomatic crisis
On March 1, 2008 the Colombian military launched an attack against FARC in the border area between Colombia and Ecuador, which ended with the death of some 19 guerrillas including the group's second in command Raúl Reyes and one Colombian soldier. The attack targeted a guerrilla camp some 1.8 km inside Ecuadorean territory.
Colombian president Alvaro Uribe called the Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa, arguing that Colombian forces had crossed the border during combat in pursuit of the guerrillas. Correa said he would investigate the events and later accused the Colombian government of lying, recalling his ambassador in Bogotá. The Colombian government subsequently apologized for its actions.
Reacting to the event, President Hugo Chavez stated that if Colombia launched a similar operation within Venezuelan borders he would consider it a casus belli and verbally attacked the Colombian president. Chavez ordered ten national guard battalions to the Colombia-Venezuela border and closed its embassy in Bogota. Chavez also offered his support to Ecuadorean president Correa.
The Venezuelan government on March 9, 2008 announced it is re-establishing normal diplomatic ties with Colombia after the two South American countries resolved their differences over Colombia's recent cross-border attack on rebels in Ecuador.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ (Spanish) Roa, Alberto Saldarriaga. Fundación de Santa Marta. Colombialink.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ (Spanish) Ruano, Maru. Cumaná. Catholic.net. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ Mabry, Donald J. Gran Colombia and the United Provinces of Central America. Historical Text Archive. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ Tessieri, Enrique. Latin America’s unresolved border disputes. Enrique Tessieri. Retrieved on 2007-11-26. Published in Power in Latin America (Issue 129/2004)
- ^ (Spanish) Penalosa Pinzon, Arturo. Santa Ana, infierno de presos en Venezuela. El Tiempo. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ (Spanish) Ramirez, Socorro (19 December 2000). Colombia - Venezuela: construir canales de comunicación para prevenir el conflicto. Analitica.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
- ^ a b (Spanish) Sandner, Gerhard (4 October 2007). El conflicto fronterizo en el Golfo de Venezuela. La Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango del Banco de la República, lablaa.org. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i El Tiempo (August 10, 2003). Venezuela Especial: En los confines de Colombia (Spanish). El Tiempo. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ Enrique Gaviria Liévano. (April, 2000). El archipiélago de Los Monjes y las relaciones diplomáticas con Venezuela. Historia de una "cesión" territorial cuyas consecuencias siguen vigentes. (Spanish). Revista Credencial Historia. Retrieved on 2008-03-26.
- ^ a b EFE (August 29, 2006). Condenan a rebelde ELN detenido en Venezuela por secuestro avión (Spanish). Terra.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-01.
- ^ Venezuela resetting diplomatic ties with Colombia
[edit] External links
- Grant, Will (November 29, 2007). Chavez takes ties to 20-year low. BBC News. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- Romero, Simon. "Chávez Says He’ll Cut Ties With Colombia and Its Leader", New York Times, November 29, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- Chavez cuts all ties with Colombia. CNN (November 28, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-29. (Spanish) Chirinos, Carlos (2007-11-29). Chávez rompe relaciones con gobierno de Uribe. BBC Mundo. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- "Sad pawn sent to freezer", The Economist, November 29, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- (Spanish) Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- (Spanish) Venezuelan Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Affairs
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