Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez have restored diplomatic ties between their countries following talks to end the latest dispute between the ideologically opposed Andean neighbours.
Mr Chavez cut ties last month after Colombia accused Venezuela of harbouring left-wing rebels.
The leaders met in the Colombian colonial city of Santa Marta in a reconciliatory mood, motivated in part by the need to revive bilateral trade of $7 billion a year.
"We have decided to turn over the page and look to the future," Mr Santos, a US ally who took office on Saturday, said after a lengthy meeting and a joint statement under a statue of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar.
President Chavez, wearing a sports jacket bearing the tricolor of his country's flag, gave Mr Santos a formal handshake instead of the back-slapping hugs he often shares with other leaders. But he urged the two to rebuild trust between their governments.
"Count on my friendship and the affection of all Venezuela," Mr Chavez told his newly-elected Colombian counterpart. "I will never stop regretting how relations ended with the outgoing government."
Among a series of accords between the pair including setting up a cross-border security committee, Venezuela agreed to pay debts owed to Colombian exporters, Mr Santos said. That debt is estimated at about $800 million.
At the heart of the latest fight were Bogota's allegations that Mr Chavez harbours Colombian guerrillas, and Venezuelan complaints about a Colombian deal to give US troops more access to military bases.
Those issues and ideological differences remain difficult to resolve in the short term, and Mr Santos was careful to stress that the reconciliation should progress "slowly but firmly."
In statements and responses to questions from reporters in Santa Marta, the pair brushed aside the base issue, but
Mr Chavez vowed not to allow Colombian rebels in Venezuela.
Mr Santos, a US and British-educated economist elected in June, has clashed before with Mr Chavez.
The pair chose Santa Marta, a port town on the Caribbean sea, for its symbolism. The Venezuelan-born Bolivar died there after his long fight to free the region from Spanish rule.
Mr Santos has appeared to take a more pragmatic approach to relations with Venezuela than his predecessor, Alvaro Uribe. Mr Chavez stands to benefit from better trade ties to boost his popularity before legislative elections in September.
Venezuela should gain cheap food imports from Colombia as it tries to control high inflation, and Colombia will restore some trade with its traditional commercial partner.
Colombia's long guerrilla conflict has often spilled over the Venezuelan border, where kidnappings and drug trafficking are common. Mr Chavez has complained that Colombia's military is not doing enough to secure the frontier.
But Mr Chavez's ideological affinity with Colombia's Marxist Farc rebels has led Washington and Bogota to accuse him of supporting the guerrillas. The former paratrooper dismisses the charges as US-backed propaganda.
"The government that I direct does not support, does not permit and will not permit the presence of guerrillas, or terrorists or drug traffickers," he aid.
Andean tensions have run high since 2008 when Colombian troops attacked a Farc rebel base hidden over the border in Ecuador. Quito and Caracas warned of war and sent troops to the border area before a regional summit defused tensions.
The most recent squabbling came after Colombia signed a deal giving US troops more access to its bases for anti-narcotics and counterinsurgency efforts. Mr Chavez accused Bogota of working with Washington to undermine his government.
Reuters