Colombia's ambassador-designate arrives in Venezuela for ties normalization

CARACAS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's new ambassador-designate to Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, arrived here on Sunday for normalizing diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Benedetti will present his credentials to the Venezuelan government, the Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a press release.

"Relations with Venezuela should never have been broken. We are brothers and an imaginary line cannot separate us, much less a policy of the state," said Benedetti in a video uploaded to his Twitter account.

"We are going to look for an economic zone, tax exemptions, and legislation that allows the Colombian government to invest in works that have an impact on the development" of the border region, he added.

Venezuela and Colombia have moved to restore bilateral relations that have been broken for more than three years.

On Aug. 11, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he has appointed former foreign minister Felix Plasencia as ambassador to Colombia and will continue to rebuild relations with the country.