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A mounting diplomatic row between Ecuador and Colombia intensified on Thursday, with the government in Quito announcing 100 percent tariffs on imports from its South American neighbor starting in May.
The move comes a day after Quito recalled its ambassador from Bogota for consultations, after Colombian President Gustavo Petro referred to a jailed former Ecuadoran vice president as a "political prisoner."
The left-wing Petro was referring to Jorge Glas, who was vice president under firebrand former socialist leader Rafael Correa and Correa's successor Lenin Moreno.
Glas was sentenced to 13 years in prison last year for corruption, his fourth conviction since 2017.
Petro's remark angered the administration of Ecuador's current right-wing president, Daniel Noboa, a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump.
Petro called the threat of a 100 percent tariff "a monstrosity" and threatened in turn that Colombia would withdraw from the Andean Community of Nations, a trade bloc which also includes Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.
"It's just simply a monstrosity, but this signifies the end" of the grouping, "in which we already no longer participate," the left-wing leader declared on X.
Noboa posted a response on X, saying "unfortunately, it is not possible to reach agreements with someone who does not share the same commitment to fighting narco-terrorism."
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/business/1f134bc3-d3a1-6a30-ad3e-a53234d2da77