The president in charge of Venezuela reported on Wednesday that she spoke by phone with her Colombian counterpart and they agreed to “hold a binational meeting soon,” lthe first since the fall of Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro was captured by the United States during a US military operation on January 3. Delcy Rodríguez was his vice president and governs under pressure from Washington after inheriting power.
Colombia reported 20 days ago a meeting between Rodríguez and President Gustavo Petro in Bogotá, without specifying a date.
“We agreed to hold a binational meeting soon at the level of heads of state to continue advancing on key issues of the economic, energy and security agenda, within the framework of strengthening cooperation and relations of respect and joint work between both countries,” Rodríguez wrote on his Telegram account.
Petro was an important ally of Maduro and first condemned his “kidnapping” and the bombing of Venezuela, although he lowered his tone after speaking with President Donald Trump about the issue.
Colombia’s first left-wing president last visited Venezuela in April 2024.
Colombia and Venezuela share a porous 2,200 km border where various armed groups compete for control of the profits from drug trafficking, illegal mining and smuggling.
One of the pending issues between both nations is an agreement to export Venezuelan gas to Colombia, as well as the reactivation of an electrical interconnection project.
