Petro, Maduro Meet in Venezuela

President Gustavo Petro of Colombia and President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela met yesterday in Caracas. This was the fifth time that the two heads of state have met since the Colombian president began his mandate in August 2022. The two nations recovered their political and commercial relations and, despite certain disagreements over the Venezuelan government’s treatment of the opposition, bridges are being rebuilt in matters of security and trade.

In a joint statement, Petro and Maduro reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in both countries, highlighting the Venezuelan role as a guarantor country in the dialogues with the Colombian guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Central General Staff (EMC). Similarly, President Maduro reported on the Venezuelan electoral process, reflecting agreements with the opposition, although not without mentioning the controversial disqualifications of opponents for the July presidential elections.

Tiptoeing around the Venezuelan elections

In fact, one of the thorniest issues that has recently provoked quarrels between the two countries was the Venezuelan presidential elections, scheduled for three months from now.

The joint communiqué states: “President Nicolas Maduro explained in detail the progress of the electoral process for July 28, for which 13 candidates from 37 political organizations have registered, all following Venezuelan laws and the discussions held between the Venezuelan government and the opposition parties, reflected in the Barbados and Caracas agreements.”

The text does not make any mention of the disqualifications of opposition candidates, starting with the favorite and leader of the united opposition candidacy, Maria Corina Machado. However, the Venezuelan leader asked his Colombian counterpart to participate as an observer in the elections.

For now, therefore, it seems that the differences between both presidents have been put aside, although there are still many weeks to go until the crucial elections in Venezuela.

“Political peace in Venezuela and armed peace in Colombia”

On one of the central themes of the meeting, the Colombian and Venezuelan heads of state expressed the need to work for the security of both nations and agreed that political peace in Venezuela could be military peace in Colombia. “Political peace in Venezuela can also be armed peace in Colombia. And in that, well, there is an area to be built quickly, urgently,” said President Gustavo Petro.

The Venezuelan president agreed with these words and affirmed that “the peace of Colombia is the peace of Venezuela, and, also, the peace and stability of Venezuela in the political, economic, and social spheres is the tranquility and peace of Colombia.”

The Colombian president acknowledged that Venezuela has supported Colombia in the issue of armed conflicts, some of them successful, but that “we must now build on these governments”. The Venezuelan head of state acknowledged that peace “is a recurring theme of President Gustavo Petro” and added: “We always say, President Petro: Venezuela will always be ready, willing and at your disposal to help, beyond what can be done, more than beyond, to build peace in Colombia.”

The joint statement indicated that “the presidents have reaffirmed their mutual commitment to support peace, as well as political, social, and economic stability in both countries, especially as regards the role of guarantor in the dialogue processes between the government of the Republic of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) and the Central General Staff (EMC), in which Venezuela has been acting as guarantor.

Peace and stability in South America

The presidents also indicated that they would work to achieve security and political stability throughout South America. In this regard, President Nicolas Maduro said with his Colombian counterpart, “We have a common vision on the conflicts on the continent, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) meeting today, the conflict in Palestine, all the issues of threats of violence and war in the world, and the need to preserve peace in our region, in South America, with care, with good offices, with good joint efforts.”

For his part, President Petro pointed out that “ensuring that South America is shielded from the barbarism and from the violence that is beginning to swarm in the world, as well as in our continent, is a common objective that must be preserved.”

The Colombian president referred to the need to achieve security in an “agreement around the dismantling of gangs, the possibility of not using cryptocurrencies as a mechanism for money laundering, [and] the joint fight against mafias of illicit economies.”

The Colombian and Venezuelan presidents also condemned the military action of the Ecuadorian army in the Mexican embassy in Quito last weekend in an attempt to arrest the former vice president of Ecuador, Jorge Glass. The same assessment was given to the military operation that Israel has been carrying out in Gaza for almost six months.

Energy and transportation

At the meeting, several economic integration projects were also discussed, among which air and land transportation, the commercial exchange of goods and services, and the consolidation of a binational energy guarantee network were highlighted. “There is a common agenda around concrete projects (…), for example, the navigability of the Meta River, the Orinoco River, and the articulation of the North Santander and Santander economies with Lake Maracaibo. This would provide much faster access to the sea,” said President Gustavo Petro.

In energy and environmental matters, projects to promote clean energy (such as wind, solar, and green hydrogen) were mentioned. “We are going to establish the electric vehicle here with Bolivia, building electric cars using our advantages—steel on one side, lithium on the other,” highlighted the Colombian president.

The strengthening of sea and river ports, the production of auto parts, and joint investments in gas and oil were other issues on the common agenda addressed by the two presidents, who sought to deepen binational integration, since the normalization of political and diplomatic relations between Colombia and Venezuela in August 2022.