Diplomatic relations between the two nations were broken in February 2019 after Colombia’s former president recognized Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed “president,” as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, left, with advisers, Sept. 12. (Colombia Presidency/Twitter)
The governments of Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro simultaneously announced this month that they will reopen the common land border and resume commercial flights between the two countries on Sept. 26, in a step towards restoring the bilateral relations broken in February 2019.
“I am very pleased to announce that starting September 26, we will jointly open the borders between Venezuela and Colombia. We will also resume flights between Caracas-Bogotá and Valencia-Bogotá. The exchange and cooperation between our peoples are starting off on the right foot,” Maduro tweeted.
“We aim at an economic alliance of respect and cooperation, with the aim of guaranteeing the well-being of the two peoples of (Liberator Simón) Bolívar. May the Venezuela-Colombia union strengthen!,” he wrote in another tweet.
Me alegra mucho anunciar que a partir del #26Sep daremos apertura conjunta a las fronteras entre Venezuela y Colombia. Además, reanudaremos los vuelos entre Caracas – Bogotá y Valencia – Bogotá. El intercambio y la cooperación entre nuestros pueblos, reinician con buen pie. pic.twitter.com/5iTqHbCVY5
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) September 9, 2022
Petro, confirming the same, tweeted that “on September 26, we will open the border between Colombia and Venezuela. As a first step, air travel and freight transport between our countries will resume. We confirm the government’s commitment to restore brotherly relations.”
El próximo 26 de septiembre daremos apertura a la frontera entre Colombia y Venezuela. Como primer paso, se reanudará la conexión aérea y el transporte de carga entre nuestros países. Confirmamos el compromiso del Gobierno por restablecer las relaciones de hermandad.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) September 9, 2022
The announcement came two days after the neighboring countries formally re-established political and diplomatic relations after over three years of broken ties.
Ambassadors Appointed in August
On Aug. 12, Maduro and Petro appointed ambassadors to each other’s countries. On Aug. 29, Maduro received credentials from Colombian Ambassador Armando Benedetti. On Sept. 7, Venezuelan Ambassador Félix Plascencia presented his credentials to Petro, formalizing ties and sealing a new diplomatic stage.
Additionally, on Sept. 8, Colombian Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Germán Umaña met with Maduro and his team in Caracas to discuss ways to activate forms of cooperation for mutual benefit.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, right, receiving credentials from Colombian Ambassador Armando Benedetti. (Colombia Presidency/Twitter)
The same day, the Colombian Foreign Ministry installed the Inter-institutional Unit for the Reactivation of Relations with Venezuela. According to a press release from the ministry, “the unit was established with the purpose of coordinating the actions of national entities in the face of the reopening of the border and the reactivation of relations with Venezuela in a progressive manner, organized at all levels of the Government.”
The border between Colombia and Venezuela has been closed on and off since August 2015 due to security reasons and reportedly as a part of Venezuela’s strategy to fight against drug trafficking, paramilitarism and smuggling.
Diplomatic relations between the two nations were broken in February 2019 after the former conservative Colombian President Iván Duque recognized self-proclaimed “president” Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s legitimate leader and assisted him to enter into the country with so-called “humanitarian aid.”
Colombia and Venezuela are linked by strong business, cultural, ethnic and family ties. The closure of the border disrupted the transportation of various goods and caused great distress to the population living in border areas on both sides. During his election campaign, Petro, who was inaugurated as Colombia’s first left-wing president on Aug. 7, had pledged to resolve the border crisis in the Norte de Santander department by renewing relations with Venezuela. Since assuming the presidency, Petro has been steadily working with his Venezuelan counterpart on improving relations.
This article is from Peoples Dispatch.
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Mal rayo parta a estos gringos!!! There isn’t a place where the Yanx don’t stick their noses into.
The US government and NATO are really a criminal syndicate, they can’t be trusted, but life must go on.
Would not trust Columbia in the least, they are and have been noted than US bootleggers and joined in some of most savage and brutal abuse of own people as ever been.
COLUMBIA MILITARY IS u S trained and supplied, its intelligence branches are under US control.
US military and portions of Columbia goverent have 1 Brigade formed during Bush Cheney Presidency whose sole purposes are to protect pipelines and to serve within US military Command as in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
COLMBIA GLEEFULLY JOINED IN US embargo, attempts of assassination of Venezuelan President and supports to this day its Special Forces wandering throughout the rural areas trying to ferment overthrow of Venezuelas elected government.
Who can forget US 2019 attempted regime change of Venezuela via electricity. Marco Rubio ominously predicted, “Venezuela is going to enter a period of suffering no nation in our hemisphere has confronted in modern history.” Rubio posted on Twitter that “backup generators have failed,” before most were aware it had happened. In 2019 Trump had rehired criminal neocon Elliott Abrams to be special rep. for Venezuela. Trump’s hiring of Elliott Abrams was one of the more sickening betrayals of his 2016 voters.
Wonderful news. Two good presidents making the right decisions for their peoples.
[Of course, the US will do everything it can to undermind this relationship, the usual sanctions, threats, lies and CIA interference, including attempts at assassination(s).]
Your assessment of the situation is very accurate and incisive. USA will go out of its way to stop this beneficial relationship between the two nations.
Exactly! According to US/NATO empire, all life on earth is to be subservient to Western corporate banker profit. That is our only purpose. A sick and twisted ideology that has brought us to the brink of extinction.
Best of luck to the brave progressive leaders of Venezuela and Columbia.
PS: hasta la victoria, siempre!!!
The never ending American hypocrisy is sickening.