The United States asked Colombia, this Tuesday, November 1, that promotes democracy and accountability in Venezuela, after the Colombian president, Gustav Petro, meet with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicholas Maduro, in Caracas.
(See: Petro and Maduro discussed the return of Venezuela to the CAN).
“Venezuelans deserve the same opportunities that Colombians and other peoples of the region have to democratically elect their leaders“, claimed a State Department spokesman in statements to the agency EFE.
Petro was received this Tuesday with honors at the Miraflores presidential palace, where he held his first meeting with Maduro to discuss various issues that affect the newly reestablished relationship between the two countries.
After this meeting, the US government asked Colombia to work with its partners to promote a continent “democratic and prosperous“, as well as “the accountability of those governments that have broken democratic norms, such as the authoritarian regime of Maduro in Venezuela“said the spokesman.
(See: Ultra Air aims at international flights and Venezuela would be a destination).
This source also recalled that the Inter-American Human Rights System “has repeatedly pointed out the repeated repression of the Maduro regime and has called for the release of political prisoners, the independence of parties, respect for freedom of expression and other human rights“.
Precisely, the re-entry of Venezuela to the Inter-American Human Rights System was one of the issues that Petro wanted to address with Maduro, according to the Colombian government.
(See: Venezuelan border: Petro asked to close trails to boost trade).
The spokesman for the US Foreign Ministry reiterated your country’s commitment for “the restoration of democracy and the rule of law” in Venezuela, and reiterated that the only way is the negotiation between Maduro and the opposition.
Petro and Maduro meeting in Venezuela.
In that sense, he said that the government of Joe Biden “appreciates the collaboration of Colombia towards a political solution in Venezuela“.
Washington has previously promised to mitigate the sanctions imposed against Caracas if Maduro returns to dialogue with the Venezuelan opposition, which was interrupted in 2021.
(See: Reopening of the Colombia-Venezuela border: balance of the first month).
Since 2019, the United States has recognized as interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido, whose figure has lost weight among the Venezuelan opposition.
After almost four years, Venezuela and Colombia reestablished diplomatic relations last August, with the arrival of Petro to power, who recognizes Maduro as the legitimate president, unlike his predecessor, Iván Duque.
EFE
