Colombian President Gustavo Petro proposed joint port control with Ecuador to fight drug trafficking, amid a trade dispute where both nations imposed 30% tariffs on each other's goods over border security issues. The Consejo Gremial urged against destabilizing the region, noting US$1.673 million in Colombian exports to Ecuador in 2025.
The trade tension between Colombia and Ecuador emerged this week when Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced 30% tariffs on Colombian products, citing a lack of cooperation in combating border crime. Colombia retaliated with a similar 30% tariff on 20 imported Ecuadorian products, according to the Ministry of Commerce, to restore trade balance and protect national production.
Petro, from his X account, proposed 'joint control' of ports: 'We believe that the ports of Ecuador and Colombia are neither for exporting cocaine nor for smuggling fentanyl precursors'. He highlighted that Colombia has captured leaders of bands operating in both countries and that fentanyl precursors enter via merchant ships, requiring 'strict control'. He also noted progress in coca eradication along the border, with over 22,000 families willing to substitute crops, and success in Tumaco, no longer the top cocaine producer.
Natalia Gutiérrez, president of the Consejo Gremial, emphasized the strategic alliance: 'Ecuador is a key ally; in 2025, Colombia exported US$1.673 million, and thousands of jobs depend on this exchange'. Colombia imported US$680 million from Ecuador in foods and forest products last year, and supplied up to 12% of its electricity consumption in critical times. Gutiérrez warned: 'Economic tools are not for confrontation: when used that way, trust breaks and trade becomes more expensive'.
