Caracas, 08 Feb. AVN.- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos held a phone conversation in which they reviewed bilateral plan of these two nations.

According to a statement released by Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Santos reiterated his gratitude to the Bolivarian Government for the arrest of drug traffickers Hector German Buitrago Parada and Orlando Buitrago.

Following, the complete text of the statement.

On Monday February 6th, 2012, the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Commander Hugo Chavez, held a phone conversation with the President of the Republic of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, as they usually do, in order to review together the condition and progress of relations.

President Santos expressed his gratitude for the arrest of paramilitary officers Hector German Buitrago Parada and Orlando Buitrago, investigated in Colombia for their responsibility in thousands of murders in the eastern plains of that country.

Furthermore, the Presidents ratified the importance of the upcoming meeting of the Committee on Security of the two countries, scheduled for next Friday February 10th in Cucuta and San Cristobal, where they will continue working to improve that area.

Meanwhile, the Presidents congratulated themselves for the successful recovery of relationships in all areas, highlighting the commercial area, which by the end of 2010 reported a figure of 2 billion dollars in exchange between the two sister nations. Also, they reaffirmed their will to continue advancing in other areas such as economic development, joint investments and development of infrastructures, as the pipeline to the Pacific Ocean and works to navigate in the rivers Meta and Orinoco.

Finally, the Presidents reiterated their desire to hold a new encounter, so they entrusted their respective Foreign Ministers to set date and place to carry out their next quarterly meeting.