After years of a broken bilateral relationship, Colombia and Venezuela will re-establish their diplomatic ties on August 7, when Gustavo Petro arrives at the Casa de Nariño. The decision was made official on July 28 by Carlos Faria, Foreign Minister of Venezuela, and who will be his Colombian counterpart, Álvaro Leyva. The officials met to discuss issues of interest to both nations and at the end of the meeting they signed a memorandum of agreement to put in writing the actions they intend to implement.
Leyva and Faria spoke specifically about appointing ambassadors in Bogotá and Caracas. Likewise, trade and cooperation agreements will be reviewed. It is emphasized that all actions will be implemented gradually.
“The foreign ministers expressed their willingness to advance in a work agenda for the gradual normalization of national relations starting next August 7 with the appointment of ambassadors and other diplomatic and consular officials. The foreign ministers ratify their willingness to consolidate the ties of friendship and cooperation with the review of all issues of binational interest for the benefit of the happiness of our peoples”, reads the agreement.
The meeting was held at the Los Leones Palace, located in the Táchira state of Venezuela. From there, Leyva said that he welcomed the efforts to restore bilateral relations and thus improve the living conditions of the border population, who have been strongly affected by the situation in recent years.
For its part, the regime of Nicolás Maduro celebrated the reestablishment of relations. Faria stressed that it was necessary “Establish a work agenda to review issues of binational interest and guarantee peace on our borders.” He was very emphatic about this last point, since he gave the urgent need to create methods so that those who live in this area do not suffer the consequences of the Colombian war.
It should be remembered that there has recently been talk that members of illegal armed groups operating in Colombia sometimes cross the border and take refuge in Venezuela. Although this has been denied by the Maduro dictatorship, the outgoing government of Iván Duque has insisted on this, a fact that has further strained diplomatic relations.
Thus, with the new Petro government, hopes are pinned on improving relations and thus better socioeconomic conditions on the border. For this reason, the Venezuelan regime highlighted the willingness of the Colombian president-elect to dialogue to reunite both countries.
“The reestablishment of relations between Colombia and Venezuela is a fact. Today we receive in San Cristóbal the new foreign minister of Colombia, Álvaro Leyva, appointed by President Gustavo Petro, to advance in the process of consolidating the brotherhood between our peoples”, said Faria.
Petro had already announced that he would seek to reestablish relations with Venezuela with the intention of improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of the border.
It should be noted that within his government agenda is also reviewing environmental issues, tax reform, dialogues with the United States in which important issues such as the renegotiation of the FTA are found; the peasantry, peace, dialogues with the criminal gangs in the country and the ELN. In addition, the vice president, Francia Márquez, intends to establish an agenda in favor of women’s rights.
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