Colombia’s administration on Saturday condemned Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa for what it called intentional meddling in the country’s election after he pledged to remove trade tariffs following discussions with a Colombian presidential hopeful.
On Friday, Noboa announced after meeting with Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella that he planned to work together against narcoterrorism and would drop a security tax beginning June 1.
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry fired back Saturday, stating that Ecuador’s decision to lift tariffs on trade between the two nations comes from a mandate by the Andean Community of Nations and dismissed characterizing it as “a goodwill gesture by the Ecuadorian leader.”
The ministry further condemned Noboa’s statements as “deliberate interference in the electoral process” and called it “intrusion by a foreign leader” that represents a “flagrant violation of the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs.”
Colombian voters head to polling stations Sunday to choose who will replace President Gustavo Petro.
De la Espriella, representing the political movement Defenders of the Homeland, ranks among the leading contenders in polling.
Noboa has not specified whether he would stick with his plan if the ruling party candidate, Iván Cepeda, emerges victorious.
The commercial dispute between the two nations started in January when Ecuador’s president implemented what he called a security tax on Colombian goods, citing inadequate border oversight and pointing to a trade imbalance of at least $1 billion.
The levy started at 30%, slowly climbed to 50%, and eventually hit 100%. Only days before his recent statement, Noboa had announced it would drop to 75% beginning June 1st.
The Petro government, which has rejected claims of border neglect, struck back with matching actions: implementing tariffs as high as 75% on Ecuador’s products and banning energy exports to Ecuador.
The escalating conflict resulted in both nations recalling their ambassadors.
Earlier this month, the Andean Community of Nations determined that the mutual tariffs must be removed because they obstruct free commerce and set a deadline for both countries to comply. The organization is currently examining appeals challenging the decision.
