Ecuador lowers Colombia tariffs after call from far-right presidential candidate
The government of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said that it would lower tariffs on imports from Colombia from 100% to 75% after a phone conversation with far-right presidential candidate Paloma Valencia. In a brief statement, Noboa’s press office said that Quito will lower the “security fee” on June 1. The decision “reaffirms the national government’s […] The post Ecuador lowers Colombia tariffs after call from far-right presidential candidate appeared first on Colombia News.
Black News 
The government of Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said that it would lower tariffs on imports from Colombia from 100% to 75% after a phone conversation with far-right presidential candidate Paloma Valencia.
In a brief statement, Noboa’s press office said that Quito will lower the “security fee” on June 1.
The decision “reaffirms the national government’s commitment to moving toward bilateral security cooperation mechanisms, promoting greater coordination between the two countries and strengthening development in the border region,” according to the statement.
Valencia, who is struggling to secure the runner-up position in polls, suggested that Noboa took the decision after a phone call in which she “expressed my commitment to working toward restoring security on both sides of the border, should I be elected president of Colombia.”
Noboa introduced a 30% security fee on Colombian imports in January, claiming that the government of Gustavo Petro failed to coordinate law enforcement efforts to reduce drug trafficking in the border region.
The Ecuadorean president subsequently raised the tariffs to 100%, effectively shutting down imports from Colombia.
Petro ordered to suspend electricity exports to the neighboring country and imposed retaliatory tariffs on imports not considered critical.
The situation became even more tense after Colombian intelligence agency DNI released audio that suggested that Ecuadorean and U.S. authorities were conspiring to fabricate drug trafficking charges against the Colombian president.
Both governments recalled their ambassadors in April amid the escalating tensions, further complicating multilateral efforts to combat drug trafficking in the border region.
Supporters of Petro’s progressive government accused Valencia of seeking foreign interference in the elections to boost her struggling campaign.
But Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio welcomed the decision and said that Bogota would renew efforts to lower tensions and tariffs through formal diplomacy.
The post Ecuador lowers Colombia tariffs after call from far-right presidential candidate appeared first on Colombia News.
