BOGOTA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) --The restoration of diplomatic ties between Venezuela and Colombia will provide opportunities not only for the two countries, but also the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), a Colombian expert has said.
Colombia's recognition of the Venezuelan government was a very important step that will lead to "win-win" results in the short, medium and long term, and will have an impact across the world, David Castrillon, a political observer from Del Rosario University in Bogota, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
On Wednesday, Venezuela's Ambassador to Colombia Felix Plasencia submitted his credentials to Colombia's Foreign Affairs Minister Alvaro Leyva, and is expected to be received by Colombia's President Gustavo Petro in the coming days.
In Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro received Colombian ambassador Armando Benedetti, who pledged to promptly rebuild "the ties of friendship that should never have been broken."
"Venezuela is returning to the region ... and the return of Venezuela will allow us to move toward regional integration," Benedetti said.
Castrillon said moving towards integration is a positive development that will allow LAC to speak with a unified voice at world forums, and that will have great benefit.
"This is extremely important at the present time of transition, change and uncertainty ... so this is a good time for Latin America to unite," the expert said.
The main beneficiaries in the short term will be the border communities, while in the medium term Colombian companies will also benefit, said Castrillon.
The normalization of ties could lead to dialogue, cooperation and coordination in tackling priority issues that have a global impact, Castrillon said. ■
