The return of Venezuela to the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) was one of the topics discussed this Tuesday afternoon Presidents Gustavo Petro and Nicolás Maduro in a bilateral meeting, the first between the two, held in Caracas.
“We have talked about the strengthening of the Andean Community, the platform that allowed the mild industrialization of our countries”, said the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who invited the other members of the integration bloc -Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile- to accept the return of Venezuela as a full member of the institution.
On this subject, Nicolás Maduro said that “it is good news” for South America and for the integration bloc itself.
(Read: Request that the US made to Colombia to help with Venezuela).
Also, the leaders did emphasis on the “new era” of the diplomatic, commercial and economic relations of both nations.
It is necessary to remember that the reestablishment of diplomatic, commercial and consular relations was one of President Petro’s campaign promises and one of the first actions undertaken in foreign policy since before his assumption of power.
The Colombian president’s trip takes place six years after the last time a head of state visited the capital of the neighboring country.
In the press conference after the meeting, Petro announced a future meeting with businessmen from both countries to be held soon in Cartagena.
“We have talked extensively about trade relations, about economic relations and about the new steps towards a total and secure opening of the border between Colombia and Venezuela (…) We have talked about security and its operation”, explained Nicolás Maduro for his part.
On this point, the Colombian president also announced that “intelligence relations will be resumed” to “be able to hit not so much the drug trafficking worker, but the owners of capital” and accused that the borders today are “in the hands of of the mafias”.
(Also: Petro and Maduro discussed the return of Venezuela to the CAN).
On the other hand, the Venezuelan president also specified that the topic of cooperation between Monomers, Pequiven and “all the work” on the issue of fertilizers and, in multilateralism, he added that the strengthening of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was discussed.
Maduro added that they are coming “good news for both populations in the remainder of this year and surely by 2023 “we will be walking the steps of integration” between the two countries.
During his visit to Caracas, President Gustavo Petro asked his Venezuelan counterpart to consider the return of Venezuela to the Inter-American Human Rights System, something to which Maduro was “receptive”.
“Latin America can be a beacon of democracy (…) It is our turn and to that extent, integrate ourselves, link ourselves to the channels of democracy and link ourselves to the people, which without it. That is why our request to our common people, to join us in this process that begins”, Petro said when referring to the request about the return.
In environmental matters, one of the Colombian policies, President Petro announced that he had talked with Maduro about the protection of the Amazon rainforest and for Latin America to bring a common voice on this issue to the next COP27 summit to be held next week. in Egypt. In addition, he asked Brazil to “join” this cause.
(Read on: Meeting with Maduro fills a six-year ‘political vacuum,’ Petro says.)
Bilateral trade between the two countries
Bilateral trade, in the doldrums since the end of 2008, is one of the edges that both presidents are promoting from the reestablishment of the diplomatic and economic relations of both countries.
A month ago, the commercial passage through the border between Norte de Santander and Táchira, once the most dynamic crossing in South America, was restored.
In this period, according to a balance offered by the Ministry of Commerce, 67 trucks with merchandise have circulated in a binational direction. The dynamics for this border crossing totaled US$2.5 million in that period and 1,552 tons of cargo.
One of the pending economic tasks of the reestablishment of relations is the return of flights between capitals and main cities.
Although there are authorizations, the specific dates have yet to be determined.
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