The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, held an unexpected meeting in Caracas this Saturday with his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro, days after the total reopening of the border between the two countries and the failed announcement of a truce with the ELN guerrillas.
Source: AFP
The meeting between both leftist leaders lasted for about three hours in the presidential palace of Mirafloreswhere Maduro received Petro without military honors. Only one truck arrived in front of the so-called Golden Gate, where they greeted each other with a handshake.
The first Colombian president of the left left the Palace after 5:00 p.m. local time (20:00 GMT), with another handshakebut without offering statements to the mediaconfirmed the AFP journalists.
“We had a broad and very fruitful meeting,” Maduro wrote. on his Twitter account after the meeting, which was republished by Petro. “We have a clear path for joint work that will continue to yield positive results for our countriesin the different areas. ohLong live the union between Colombia and Venezuela!“said the socialist ruler.
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The third meeting between both leadersthe second to be held in Caracas, it occurred a week after the total reopening of the common border crossingstotally closed in 2019 after the break of diplomatic relations. But also, after the announcement of a six-month truce with the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) by Petro on December 31, which was later denied by the insurgents.
Venezuela is guarantor in the negotiations they seek to emulate a signing of a peace agreement with this guerrilla as the one reached in 2016 by the government of then President Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018) with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Petro visited Maduro on November 1in the first official arrival of a Colombian president in Venezuela in nine years.
In that meeting, both advocated for the reintegration of Venezuela into the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) and the Inter-American Human Rights System. Too, signed a declaration to activate “joint security mechanisms” on the common border of 2,200 km, badly hit by drug trafficking, smuggling and armed groups.
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That same month, the presidents met in Egypt during the COP27 environmental summit to impulse an alliance for the protection of the Amazon.
Caracas broke diplomatic relations with Bogotá in 2019 behind the support for that Petro’s predecessor, the right-winger Iván Duque, gave opposition leader Juan Guaidówhom he recognized as president in charge because he considered that the Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was fraudulent.
Petro has scheduled a meeting on Monday with his Chilean counterpartalso a leftist gabriel borichduring a state visit to that country.
