President Gustavo Petro installed this Wednesday Armando Benedetti as ambassador of Colombia in Venezuelaone of the key steps in reestablishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
(Read: What is known about the attack on the presidential outpost in Catatumbo).
Benedetti, with extensive political experience, served as campaign manager for today’s president during the electoral stage. The politician, a native of Barranquilla, was appointed to the position on August 11.
During the inauguration, Petro ordered the new Colombian representative to “put the house in order” in the neighboring country, after years of breaking diplomatic relations.
“You go and see how the Colombian house is over there. There are 16 consulates that need to be filled, we have talked about people with a diplomatic career in all of them. The damage to the houses must be repaired (…)”said the head of state in a brief official address.
Petro also launched a message of reconciliation in which he stated that “hearts must also be repaired” so that “nobody thinks” that “between Venezuela and Colombia there has to be a war, a conflict, or things like that.”
For his part, the Ambassador Benedetti wrote on his Twitter accountA: “We will work to normalize relations between two sister countries. Commercial exchange, border security and fraternal ties with our neighbor will be a priority”.
(Also: Readjust the map and include another department, a new idea from Petro).
In this way, only the possession of Félix Plasencia, former Venezuelan foreign minister, remains as ambassador of the neighboring country in Bogotá, after being announced by Nicolás Maduro on August 11.
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