IranPress/America - Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, countries of the Andean Community (CAN) have agreed on Wednesday (29.08.2018) in Lima to coordinate their effort to channel and strengthen international cooperation to deal with the massive migration of Venezuelan citizens into their territories.
The agreements included "strengthening the coordination of Member States within the framework of the Andean Council on Migration" in order to channel and strengthen international cooperation in order to effectively manage this migration crisis, Elespectador reported.
These institutions included the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Program (WFP) and the International Red Cross.
They talked about the question of international aid and the need for its efficient treatment, said Deputy Secretary of Peru's Migration and Consular Services, Enrique Bustamante, reiterating that the CAN countries are not closing their borders with the Venezuelan migration flow.
The Andean countries also agreed to co-ordinate with international cooperation, notably the IOM and UNHCR, "to finance the transfer and resettlement of migrants in non-EU countries".
Venezuelans are leaving in droves due to economic meltdown that has led to a shortage of even the most basic food supplies. A million have gone to Colombia, 400,000 to Peru, and 120,000 to Brazil; and there's no sign of the flow slowing down anytime soon.
The economic situation in the Latin American country has deteriorated due to the deficit of goods, accelerating inflation, a fall in the government’s revenues driven by dropping oil and gas prices, as well as mass protests in the country.
In May, US President Donald Trump signed an order prohibiting US citizens and legal bodies from making any transactions involving debts tied to the Venezuelan government debt as well as preventing Venezuelan officials from selling equity in any government-owned entity, including PDVSA, as part of its tightened sanctions on the country's government. This step followed Maduro's re-election, which Washington has criticized as unfair.
The tension in the relations between the two countries escalated following the presidential election in Venezuela.
Maduro was re-elected with over 65 percent of the vote.
The Venezuelan government took over currency controls in the country in 2003. The old bolivars will be phased out starting this weekend, with the new currency being pegged to petro.
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