Maduro to meet with recently elected Colombian President Gustavo Petro

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Oct 22:32
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Colombia's first left-wing President, Gustavo Petro, had previously met with the late Hugo Chavez in 1992, and they were close allies.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Colombian President Gustavo Petro

The Presidency in Bogota said in a statement on Monday that the Presidents of both Colombia and Venezuela are scheduled to meet in Caracas on Tuesday.

The two Latin American leaders plan on discussing "the bilateral relationship between the two countries, the reopening of borders, and Venezuela’s re-entry into the inter-American human rights system."

This will mark the first meeting after years between the leaders of the two nations, and it comes in light of them restoring diplomatic ties on August 29 this year.

Colombia's first left-wing President Gustavo Petro was elected on August 7, 2022, and had previously met with the late Hugo Chavez in 1992 as the latter had just been released from prison for his role in the attempted February 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état.

Under conservative Colombian President Ivan Duque, the South American neighbors severed diplomatic ties in 2019.

However, since Petro took over in August, he worked to repair ties with Venezuela's leftist government.

The two countries formally rekindled diplomatic ties on August 29, and on September 26, they reopened their border to vehicles transporting goods.

Prior to the total closure of the borders in 2008, commercial relations were estimated to be worth about $7.2 billion.

The two countries struggle with the common issue of armed drug traffickers who happen to be most present on the two countries' 2,200-kilometer border.