Venezuelan jet crashes on Colombian border

Maduro will be participating in a face-to-face meeting with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in in Quito this Monday in a bid to resolve the two neighbors’ tense border standoff, which has seen Venezuela close off sections of the 1400 mile frontier as part of ongoing efforts to combat paramilitarism and smuggling.

Santos has countered that the shortages are a byproduct of failed socialist policies and has sought to rally global opinion against Venezuela for violating the rights of Colombian deportees.

Venezuela and Colombia announced an agreement Monday to normalize relations following a escalated dispute of their shared border.

“Common sense, dialogue and peace between our peoples and our countries have triumphed today”, said Mr Maduro after the talks in Quito aimed at defusing the crisis. The leaders also agreed to work towards re-opening border crossings closed since Colombian paramilitary gunmen allegedly shot three Venezuelan police officers on August 19. Since August 19, more than 20,000 Colombians remigrated and are mainly kept in shelters along the border.

Monday’s talks were facilitated by Uruguayan President Tabare Vasquez and his Ecuadorean counterpart, Rafael Correa.

Colombia claims that during the process -which recognizes as a right of Venezuela- violations against its citizens and raids in its airspace took place, both issues rejected by the Bolivarian Government.

Venezuela later recalled its ambassador from Bogota.

The Colombian leader said on Tuesday: “I agree that criminal organisations working in the border area are a big problem, but the best way to deal with it is by working together”.

Foreign ministers from the two countries will continue the negotiations, starting with a meeting Wednesday, according to a mutual statement read by Correa. Until the crackdown, gangs regularly bribed Venezuelan security forces to let them cross the border with gasoline, food and other staples purchased at low government-controlled prices in Venezuela and sold for huge profits in Colombia.

Venezuela says that as much as 40 percent of its goods are smuggled out of the country, costing the country $2 billion a year.