“It’s the beginning of a phase” fraternal Diplomatic Relations, peace and respect. A hug to the Colombian people,” he said. Nicholas Maduro It was during the ceremony that Venezuela and Colombia officially turned the page after years of powerful songs of conflict and war. The playful Maduro received the new ambassador of Colombia at the Miraflores Palace, Armando Benedetti. While presenting the identity documents, the ambassador from the neighboring country said, “We talked about the urgency of re-establishing ties of friendship that should never be broken.” Said. There were gifts, jokes, and a conciliatory tone. But above all it is a political message. The meeting ends a three-year completely frozen bilateral relationship. “The distance should never have been,” said the host.
predecessor Gustavo PetroIván Duque made a big bet on Maduro’s downfall, and three years ago, after receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement, he immediately recognized Juan Guaidó as “president in charge.” Colombia’s situation took an unpredictable turn in 2019: a left now rules with little sympathy for historical chavizmo and its heirs. However, Petro did not hesitate to reestablish relations and confront the company in 2020 with a man who was extremely critical of Maduro, whom he described as a “dictator”. Benedetti also did not hold back his negative thoughts about Guaidó enough to call him a “puppet” of Washington.
Seeing him in the Bolívar Hall of the headquarters, Guaidó immediately expressed his dismay at the change in attitude in Colombia and the loss of his main supporter in the region. “When he arrived in Venezuela, the ambassador sent by President Petro did not talk about seven million migrants and refugees, a complex humanitarian emergency, displacement of indigenous communities by terrorist groups, and free elections,” he wrote on his Twitter account. .
a complex task
Maduro and Benedetti implied that restoration will need time to restore the rhythm of a changing neighborhood. Maduro said everything “must be done in an orderly manner”. According to the Caracas portal ‘Efecto Cocuyo’, The main tasks ahead include the reactivation of consular centers in each country and commercial flights. At the same time, need restore stream on shared border, affected for seven years by the economic and social consequences. This reopening pace will be the subject of complex negotiations, according to analysts from both countries.
The border is not just the scene of a heated legalized commercial exchange. At this borderline drug trafficking and smuggling such as ELN guerrillaAfter Petro came to power, he agreed to return to the negotiating table with the Colombian state. This hard-to-reach zone also includes FARC sectors that have not signed a peace agreement and are often persecuted by public or private security forces seeking rewards. There is also the immigration problem. Duque opened the door to 2.5 million Venezuelans. There is another matter of first order, and it concerns the fate of Monómeros, a Venezuelan company that produces fertilizers for agriculture in Colombia.