This weekend the president-elect of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, was in Florence, Italy, holding several meetings for his government, which begins on August 7, as well as the first legislative period, which begins on July 20.
These meetings were held despite the fact that the future president was on vacation in Europe, where he has also held meetings with diplomats from the old continent.
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To Florence, Italy, The former president César Gaviria, head of the Liberal Party, and the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, arrived.
With Gaviria, with whom he met in the rest house where Petro was staying, they discussed the legislative agenda and the government coalition. Liberalism has already announced that it will support the elected president.
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That meeting was on the radar of the political country, but This Monday it was confirmed that the mayor of Medellín also arrived in Italy.
Since Friday it generated suspicion that photos of Quintero were known at the Paris airport. This caused controversy in the Council, from where reported that the president did not request permission for said trip, as required by law.
“He did not ask for permission to the Council for an official trip. It must be that Quintero has a lot of money to go for a walk in Europe for a weekend, without being on vacation,” tweeted the councilor of the Democratic Center, Alfredo Ramos.
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Several sectors, in addition, questioned that just the same weekend that Petro was in Europe, Quintero traveled. However, the reasons for the president’s trip and whether he was going to meet the president-elect were unknown.
But this Monday, in the middle of the summit of the Historical Pact that takes place in Medellín, Quintero himself, in a statement to the media, confirmed that he met with Gustavo Petro.
Permission to the Council for official trip did not request.
It must be that Quintero has a lot of money to go for a walk in Europe for a weekend, without being on vacation https://t.co/QSHqyEcksm— Alfredo Ramos (@AlfredoRamosM) July 8, 2022
“It was a very important trip. It was a work trip. A trip in which I went to take the message of some unions and businessmen who have met privately with me to discuss issues that concern them. We talk about issues of Hidroituango, we talk about issues of Medellin, the Metrocables, for example. Many things,” said the mayor of Medellín.
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And he added that, although there were more than 9,000 kilometers of travel, this trip was key because it dealt with issues that “will be very useful to Medellín and Antioquia.”