Colombia's leader to visit Venezuela for key talks with acting President Delcy Rodríguez
CARACAS, Dto. Capital —
Colombian President Gustavo Petro is visiting Venezuela on Friday for key talks on border security and trade with the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. The meeting, their first, comes months after the U.S. military seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their home in January.
Colombia is lobbying to become a buyer of Venezuelan gas and last month sought an exemption from U.S. sanctions to invest in Venezuelan electricity projects and natural gas ventures, which could include the reopening of a gas pipeline between the neighboring South American countries.
CARACAS, Dto. Capital —
Colombian President Gustavo Petro is visiting Venezuela on Friday for key talks on border security and trade with the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. The meeting, their first, comes months after the U.S. military seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their home in January.
Colombia is lobbying to become a buyer of Venezuelan gas and last month sought an exemption from U.S. sanctions to invest in Venezuelan electricity projects and natural gas ventures, which could include the reopening of a gas pipeline between the neighboring South American countries.
Colombia-Venezuela ties have long been on the rocks. Petro did not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president in the wake of the contested July 2024 elections that triggered protests, which sparked widespread repression. Still, he maintained diplomatic ties with Caracas.
Colombia's government has said that the Petro-Rodríguez meeting on Friday aims to “contribute to a resolution of Venezuela’s political crisis.”
However, it's unclear how this can be achieved.
Rodríguez Durán, the university researcher, said Petro’s leverage is limited regarding any potential mediation, given that his term ends in August. Future ties with Venezuela will likely also be influenced by who takes power next in Colombia.
Petro and Rodríguez were expected to meet last month at their shared border, but their respective governments abruptly canceled the meeting citing “force majeure,” which they did not explain, and simply said it would take place at a later time.
Before that canceled meeting, several Venezuelan nongovernmental organizations had addressed an open letter to Petro, urging Colombia to contribute to the “promotion of democratic principles and human rights,” including the release of “all political prisoners” and an end to “persecution.”
