Business slowly comes back to Venezuela's border after re-friending Colombia
Cross-border trade between Colombia and Venezuela has slowly opened up after the countries reengaged following years of bad relations.
SAN ANTONIO DEL TÁCHIRA, Venezuela — At a warehouse in this Venezuelan border town, customs officials inspect tractor trailers loaded with imports from neighboring Colombia. It's rather mundane cargo — detergent, tobacco, crates of mayonnaise — but warehouse owner Emilio Gutiérrez is thrilled.
The warehouse had been shuttered for seven years amid diplomatic disputes between Colombia and Venezuela that led to frequent border closures. As cargo traffic dwindled, a cash-strapped Gutiérrez joined an exodus of 2.5 million Venezuelans who resettled in Colombia.
Last year, however, Colombia began mending fences with Venezuela's authoritarian government. Border
