"I have instructed the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to file a formal protest with Venezuela tomorrow, for violating our airspace," Colombian Prime Minister Juan Manuel Santos wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday.
He ordenado a @CancilleriaCol y @mindefensa presentar mañana mismo protesta formal a Venezuela por violación de nuestro espacio aéreo
— Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) 14 сентября 2015
On Monday, the Colombian Foreign Ministry published a statement on its Twitter page, informing of its plans to deliver a protest note regarding the flight of two Venezuelan aircraft over the Colombian part of the Guarija Peninsula, the northernmost part of South America.
The Foreign Ministry said it would request an explanation from the Venezuelan government for the violation, which was reported by the Colombian Air Force at Riohacha, capital of the La Guajira department, after a review of air defense radar data.
Comunicado de prensa pic.twitter.com/hVSUbcyQUu
— Cancillería Colombia (@CancilleriaCol) 14 сентября 2015
"The Colombian Ministry of Defense alerted the Foreign Ministry on Sunday September 13 regarding the violation of Colombian airspace in Alta Guajira on two occasions, by two Venezuelan military aircraft," stated the Foreign Ministry.
However, the claim was rebutted by Venezuela's government; Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez likewise took to Twitter, to respond that "there is no evidence of an alleged airspace violation of a neighboring country, beyond a fabrication [used] in order to frustrate a presidential meeting."
No existe evidencia alguna d supuesta violación d espacio aéreo del vecino país, más allá d una invención para frustrar reunión presidencial
— Delcy Rodríguez (@DrodriguezVen) 14 сентября 2015
"We view with concern the systematic trend of the Colombian government to invent incidents that do not exist in order to affect relations," continued Rodriguez.
It is hoped that the presidential meeting referred to by Rodriguez will defuse a recent row between the two nations regarding a crackdown by the Venezuelan government on smuggling and crime at their shared border.
The crackdown has resulted in the deportation of more than 1,000 Colombians from Venezuela, and the closure of several border crossings.
Cancilleres de Ecuador y Uruguay están presentes en la reunión de la Canciller Holguín y @DrodriguezVen pic.twitter.com/8eb0oIyYkA
— Cancillería Colombia (@CancilleriaCol) 12 сентября 2015
At the weekend, Foreign Minister Rodriguez and her Colombian counterpart Maria Angela Holguin held talks in Ecuador in the presence of the Ecuadorean and Uruguayan Foreign Ministers, in an attempt to find a resolution to the dispute, and organize a meeting between the heads of state.
