Venezuela, Colombia re-open border for bilateral trade

The border between Venezuela and Colombia was re-opened on Friday night in an attempt to allow heavy-loaded vehicles to pass between the two countries for bilateral trade, said the Venezuelan governor of the western border state Tachira, Jose Vielma Mora. Close to midnight on Friday, Vielma Mora said that the decision taken to re-open the border was a response to an instruction given by Venezuela's president, Nicolas Maduro, the second stage in the "gradual and controlled" re-opening of the bi-national border. In this way, he said that with the border open, food and products will now be able to be transported, specifically via the International Simon Bolivar bridge that connects the Venezuelan town of San Antonio in Tachira with the Colombian town of Cucuta. The designated timetable for freight vehicles to travel across the border is Monday to Friday, from 20:00 to 24:00 (Venezuelan time).More…