Venezuela to reestablish military relations with Colombia: General
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro instructs the army to contact Colombia to reestablish military relations
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Venezuelan General Vladimir Padrino (Reuters)
Venezuela will seek to reestablish its military ties with neighbor Colombia, the country's defense minister said on Tuesday, after years of conflictive relations between the two nations.
Venezuelan General Vladimir Padrino confirmed that he had received instructions from President Nicolas Maduro to contact Colombian Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez in order to "reestablish their military relations," Tweeted Venezuela's defense ministry.
On July 28, Colombian and Venezuelan foreign ministers announced that the two countries will rebuild contact after years of hostility.
Colombia's Foreign Minister-Designate Alvaro Leyva had met with his Venezuelan counterpart Carlos Faria in the Venezuelan state of Tachira.
In a joint statement, the two declared that ambassadors will be nominated and consulates will reopen when Colombia's newly elected President Gustavo Petro takes office.
The two countries "ratified their willingness to reinforce the bonds of friendship and collaboration, reviewing all topics of binational interest for the sake of our people's pleasure," Leyva said, reading from a joint statement signed by him and Faria.
The governments will “boost security and peace” on their shared border, according to the statement.
It is noteworthy that during his presidential campaign, Petro stated that his government will strive to rebuild communication channels with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The former Colombian administration has supported US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in his efforts to depose Maduro, who broke diplomatic relations with the neighboring country and ordered diplomats to leave its territory after President Ivan Duque took office in 2018.
The 2,219-kilometer land border between the two nations was closed in 2019 after the Venezuelan government barred the international Simon Bolivar bridge over a US-backed attempt by the Venezuelan opposition to enter aid from Colombia, which Caracas regarded as aggression from Bogota.
Petro said hours after winning the election that he had spoken with the Maduro government and planned to restore relations with Venezuela.
Read more: Venezuela congratulates Colombia on Petro's election win
