Caracas, March 12: Venezuela has began to withdraw some 4,000 troops from its border with Colombia after the country's President Hugo Chavez ordered normalisation of Venezuela-Colombia relations.

The Venezuelan foreign ministry announced the restoration of diplomatic ties with Colombia Sunday, after Ecuador and Colombia agreed to bury their differences Friday at the Rio Group summit in the Dominican Republic.

Venezuela Tuesday said its soldiers, which had been on high alert after a March 2 mission to the Colombian border, returned to their bases. Venezuelan diplomats returned to Colombia Monday.

Ecuador broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia after Colombian troops entered Ecuadorian territory March 1 to attack a camp of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

Venezuela condemned the attack and sent troops to its border with Colombia.