QUITO, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador's customs authority on Sunday issued a resolution to abolish a 100 percent tariff on Colombian goods starting June 1, ending a trade dispute that had strained relations between the two countries in recent months.

The security surcharge on imports originating in or coming from Colombia will be reduced to zero percent, Sandro Castillo, director general of Ecuador's National Customs Service, wrote on X, saying the measure opens a new stage of cooperation between the two countries in security, trade and development.

Castillo said the customs authority will ensure the effective implementation of the decision to strengthen legal trade, regional integration and joint efforts to combat illicit economies.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced the measure on Friday after talks with Colombian presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella.

Ecuador announced the surcharge on goods from Colombia in January, citing border security concerns and what it described as a lack of reciprocity in efforts to fight drug trafficking along their shared border.

The rate was initially set at 30 percent, later increased to 50 percent and finally raised to 100 percent on May 1.

Colombia responded with tariffs of up to 75 percent on some Ecuadorian products and temporarily suspended electricity exports to Ecuador.

The dispute was brought before the General Secretariat of the Andean Community, which ordered both countries to remove the trade restrictions imposed during the conflict in accordance with the regional bloc's rules. ■