The Grupo Andino (also known as the Andean Common Market (or ANCOM), Acuerdo de Cartagena, and the Andean Pact) is an organization for the economic integration of the five South American countries located in the central and northern parts of the massive Andean mountain range. The present members of the organization are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Originally, when the Grupo Andino was established by means of a treaty known as the Cartagena Agreement (Acuerdo de Cartagena) in 1969, Chile was one of the founding members, whereas Venezuela abstained from joining the organization until 1973. As Chile began to develop a more flexible foreign trade and investment policy in the middle 1970's than was acceptable to the other Grupo Andino countries, it gradually withdrew from the organization's activities, and finally ceased to be a member in late 1976.
Crisis in Bilateral Economic Cooperation between Russia and Spain
