Colombia on Wednesday raised the stakes in a maritime dispute with Nicaragua, recalling its ambassador for consultations after a contentious ruling by the International Court of Justice.

Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin in Bogota said her country took the decision as it cannot accept the court's November 19 judgment that confirmed Colombia's sovereignty over the San Andres archipelago in the Caribbean, but redrew marine boundaries in a way that favored Nicaragua.

"What we are saying is that we cannot apply" the ruling, Holguin told reporters in the capital. "For these reasons and the hostility of Nicaragua we have taken the decision to recall our ambassador for consultations."

The case has poisoned bilateral relations over the past year.

The ambassador, Luz Stella Jara, is expected back in Bogota on Thursday to explain why it has been "impossible to have a dialogue with Nicaragua," added Holguin, deploring Managua's decision to go to the ICJ.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said the country's territorial and marine boundaries should be established through treaties, and not sentences handed down by the court in the Hague.