Venezuela Announces Re-opening Borders With Brazil, Aruba

Venezuela has announced it is reopening borders with Brazil and Aruba. 

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The Venezuelan government said Friday morning it will reopen its maritime and air borders with Aruba and land borders with Brazil as part of the new relations of respect with the neighboring countries in order to advance peaceful frontiers.

The announcement was delivered by Venezuelan Vice President of the Economy Tareck Zaidan El Aissami who said the country will begin to reestablish all daily flights and communication systems with Aruba.

El Aissami said the move comes after diplomatic talks with Brazil and Aruba whose authorities have expressed that Venezuela deserves political sovereignty and diplomatic respect. "Authorities of the island of Aruba have shown respect for democracy" in Venezuela.

The vice president, who gave the press conference alongside Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, said they hoped Venezuela's other neighbors, like Colombia, follow the example of Brazil and Aruba in order to increase diplomacy within the region. 

Vicepdte of the Economy @TareckPSUV: Hopefully the interventionist scheme, the folly, the lack of criteria will be abandoned and the path of diplomacy will be taken up again to clarify any issue and situation that concerns our borders. #RibasRevoluciónEducativa

The governor of Roraima state in Brazil and the mayor of Pacaraima, located at the Venezuelan border, welcomed the reopening of the land passage, said El Aissami who added  the authorities there "have a respect for sovereignty and a commitment to non-interference in the matters that concern Venezuelans." With that, the two nations "agreed to restore all the economic, social, political, and cultural exchange at our border with Brazil," announced the government authority.

El Aissami clarified that the land border with Colombia and the air and maritime borders with Bonaire and Curaçao will remain closed "until the hostility and enabiling of paramilitary groups to attack our people cease," declared the vice president.

The official stressed that the United States government needs to lift the economic sanctions it has placed on the Venezuelan government, Russian businesses and individuals in order for the South American nation to gain access to its rightful billions of dollars.

In his speech, El Aissami reminded the press that these border areas were shut down just before the U.S. and its allies in the region failed to enter Venezuela with alleged "humanitarian aid" February 23. "Actions that sought to violate the sacred Venezuelan territory," said the government official.