Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will receive his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, this Saturday in Caracas in an extraordinary meeting between the two leaders following the complete reopening of the border between the two countries last week.
The meeting between the two leaders is scheduled for 13.00, local time (18.00 in Spain) without details of the meeting having transcended for the moment beyond the fact that it will serve as a follow-up to the previous meeting of November 1, reports Radio Caracol.
At that time, recalls the media, the issues discussed were related to the bilateral relationship between Colombia and Venezuela, the reopening of borders and a key issue, such as Venezuela’s re-entry into the Inter-American Human Rights system.
The border between Venezuela and Colombia was completely reopened on New Year’s Day after the inauguration of the old Tienditas bridge, now renamed Atanasio Girardot, epicenter of years of crisis between both countries.
The border remained closed for seven years after Maduro ordered a blockade between the two Latin American countries during the government of Juan Manuel Santos due to the alleged presence of Colombian paramilitaries in his territory, a crisis that worsened with the expulsion of hundreds of Colombians from Venezuela.
The bridge was completed in 2015, but was never inaugurated due to political problems between the governments of the two countries. In 2019, Venezuelan authorities blocked the passage through this road infrastructure with containers, after the opposition tried to bring alleged humanitarian aid into the country, which Caracas described as an invasion attempt.
Petro, on the other hand, has worked to restore relations with Venezuela and last September 26 the resumption of air connections and cargo transport was already announced.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
