(Oranjestad)—After many deliberations and negotiations, where authorities have reached concrete agreements with Venezuela concerning the conditions, the maritime border between Aruba and Venezuela was officially opened on May 1st of this year. Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes has indicated there is no set date for the opening of the aerial border with the Latin American country, as deliberations must still take place.
She also pointed out that there are very strict conditions to which merchants from Venezuela must adhere, because it is important for the Aruban government to have complete control. One of these conditions is that ships that sail from Venezuela has to have been contracted by an agency on the island. This means that no ship is permitted to dock in Aruba to sell products without specific instructions or responsibility from an agency on the island. Furthermore, crew members on board do not have a Visa to enter Aruba, so they are not permitted to leave port property and may only stay for a maximum of 48 hours.
At this time of writing, since the opening of the maritime border, there have been no ships yet that have docked at the ports. There is much paperwork that must be done both in Aruba and Venezuela, so it may take some time. “Maybe in the next few days, we may be able to import fruits and vegetables, edible products, construction material etc. at a cheaper price. This can alleviate the burden of high living costs on the community of Aruba.
“With help from God we will make it. Soon ships will be docking on the island. The Aruban government is confident the agreement we made are so concrete and appropriate, that is will be safe to open the maritime border. Soon more deliberations will also take place concerning the reopening of the aerial border. There is still no set date for this, because there is still much to be done before we can implement this,” the prime minister expressed.
