BOGOTA (AP) — Colombia's government on Saturday rejected a move by Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa to eliminate tariffs on Colombian imports because of a tariff commitment made to an opposition candidate, calling it "deliberate interference" in the ongoing electoral process.
Noboa said Friday after talks with Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella that he was committed to jointly fight narcoterrorism and would eliminate a security tax on June 1.
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Colombia's Foreign Ministry responded on Saturday by saying the repeal of tariffs imposed by Ecuador on bilateral trade stems from a resolution issued by the Andean Community of Nations and rejected its portrayal as "a goodwill gesture by the Ecuadorian leader."
The ministry also described Noboa's remarks as "deliberate interference in the electoral process" and as "intrusion by a foreign leader" that constitutes a "flagrant violation of the principle of non-intervention in internal affairs."
