Nicolás Maduro congratulated his Colombian counterpart this Sunday, Gustavo Petrofor his investiture as president of the Andean nation and called him to “rebuild the brotherhood” between the two countries.
“I extend my hand to the people of Colombia and to President Gustavo Petro to rebuild brotherhood based on respect and love between peoples,” said the Venezuelan head of state in a video posted on his Twitter account.
The Venezuelan leader, who assured that he followed the entire event on television, took Petro’s words and said that this new government is “a second chance” that “must be used for the good, happiness and peace” of these neighboring nations. .
Maduro talks about Petro’s swearing-in act
“Let’s take advantage of this second opportunity that the new president of Colombia mentions for the sake of happiness and peace,” he reiterated in the message with which he accompanied the video.
Likewise, Maduro celebrated that the investiture act was done before the sword of the Liberator Simón Bolívar, after the order of the Colombian president, the first of his government, that they take her to the stage where the ceremony was held.
Petro was sworn in this Sunday as president of Colombia, a position to which he came to succeed Iván Duque, before a crowd that applauded him in the Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá.
The new head of state was sworn in by Senator María José Pizarro, daughter of Carlos Pizarro, who was a partner of Petro in the M-19 guerrilla and who was assassinated in 1990 when he was a presidential candidate.
Colombia and Venezuela, which share a 2,219-kilometer border, have not had diplomatic relations since they were broken on February 23, 2019 by order of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, amid an escalation of tensions with his Colombian counterpart at the time, Iván Duque. , for his support of the opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
However, on July 28, both governments announced that, once Petro assumed command, diplomatic relations would be restored at all levels, starting with an “immediate” appointment of ambassadors.
