He President Gustavo Petro continues to evaluate who will represent Colombia in the investiture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela on January 10although initially it is planned to be a low-profile delegation led by the ambassador in Caracas, Milton Rengifo.
“Surely the Government of Colombia, like many governments in the region, is going to send a representative to President Maduro’s inauguration ceremony. In our case, initially the Colombian ambassador to Venezuela, Milton Rengifo, is scheduled to attend.“said the Vice Chancellor, Jorge Rojasin an interview with Noticias Caracol.
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Petro, whose Government remains in the position of not recognizing Maduro’s victory – granted by the electoral body – until the electoral records are published, is evaluating the situation and sources from the Presidency assured EFE that no decision has yet been made regarding who to send to Caracas..
For his part, the Chancellor Luis Gilberto Murillo He pointed out this Monday in an interview with El País that he has not been invited and insisted that it is Petro’s decision: “They invited the president, but it is a decision that he will make within his autonomy, in due time.“.
Colombia has tried to mediate in the Venezuelan crisis since the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro’s contested victory in the July 28 elections, maintaining a position in which he has not recognized any winner.
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“Our position has been clear, consistent and coherent with our defense of democracy. We have said: there were no minutes, there is no recognition. It’s that simple. We respect the sovereignty of Venezuela, but the minutes are fundamental“Murillo insisted.
And in any case, has always maintained the need to maintain diplomatic relations with the neighboring country, with which it shares a border of 2,219 kilometers.
Rengifo’s attendance at the investiture represents the representation of Colombia, even if it is at a very low level, and would be added to the one announced this Monday by the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum.
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The Mexican president revealed that she will send “a representation or the ambassador himself who is in Venezuela (Leopoldo de Gyves)” to the investiture, which marks the first time that Maduro’s reelection has been recognized, rejected by different governments and national and international organizations.
Sheinbaum had denied on December 13 that he had received an invitation to attend the formal event on January 10 in Caracas.where the standard bearer of the majority opposition, grouped in the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), Edmunddo González Urrutiarecognized by the United States and other countries as “president-elect“He also assures that he will take possession.
EFE