SAN CRISTOBAL, July 28 (Aljazeera) - Colombia and Venezuela will appoint new ambassadors in their respective capitals when Colombian President-elect Gustavo Petro takes office next month, authorities said, in an effort to rebuild diplomatic relations after years of tension.

The decision was announced in a joint declaration on Thursday by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Carlos Faria and Colombian Foreign Minister-in-waiting Alvaro Leyva after a meeting in the border city of San Cristobal.

Leyva read out a statement saying that both men had “expressed their desire to progress on a work agenda towards the gradual normalisation of bilateral relations from August 7 by naming ambassadors and diplomatic and consular officials”.

They also reaffirmed “their willingness to make joint efforts to guarantee security and peace on the border of our two countries”, he added.

Relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been rocky for years over a range of issues, including a surge in the number of Venezuelan migrants crossing the countries’ shared border amid a socioeconomic crisis in their country.

The 2,219km (1,379-mile) border has been the site of confrontations between armed groups, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) dissidents.