Previous Story
Ecuador implements ‘humanitarian corridor’ for Venezuelans
Posted On 24 Aug 2018
Ecuadornews:
The Government of Ecuador maintains the requirement for the presentation of a passport for the entry of Venezuelan citizens into Ecuadorian territory and implements a humanitarian corridor for Venezuelans who want to move from the border with Colombia to that of Peru.
The Interior Minister, Mauro Toscanini, informed that the humanitarian corridor consists in the transfer of Venezuelans on buses with official accompaniment by the Panamericana, after the presentation of the required documents and that there are exceptions for not requesting a passport.
In cases of couples, if the one has and the other does not, the two pass and there are also exceptions for the children because Venezuela does not give an identity card until nine years old. Toscanini said that it is very difficult to control the 700 kilometers of border with Colombia and there would be 33 clandestine steps.
The government authorities support the decision to request a passport in which the other identity documents they present are susceptible to cloning or falsification and with the measure it is not only about protecting the safety of Venezuelan migrants, but also the security of the community of welcome that, in this case, is conformed by the Ecuadorians.
The Government of Ecuador has contacted Venezuelan authorities who have indicated that they seek to accelerate the procedures for passports to be delivered.
Chancellor José Valencia expressed that he hopes that this offer will materialize in reality. “We hope that there will be the necessary will for the issuance of passports,” Valencia added.
Later, he said that he is also thinking about linking the computer systems of the two countries so that the investigation can be carried out and insisted that the passport is a valid and current identification with which the identity of the persons can be verified, “an instrument commonly accepted in all the countries of the world”.
Parallel to the announcement of the humanitarian actions carried out by Ecuador on the border with vaccination for children and priority attention in health and education for people in mobility, the Government also announced its departure from the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA).
The foreign minister said that there is frustration with the Venezuelan government because of the lack of political will to seek a solution to the migratory problem.
Valencia pointed out that the migration of Venezuelans is a situation that demands a response from all the nations of the region, for which reason it ratified the call to the technical meeting on September 17 and 18 in Quito. Brazil and Chile have confirmed their presence. (I)
