Maduro celebrates reestablishment of relations with Colombia with the arrival of Petro

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has welcomed the announcement of the restoration of relations between Caracas and Bogota in view of the inauguration of the next president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro.

Maduro has called Thursday’s meeting between Venezuelan Foreign Minister Carlos Faría and Álvaro Leyva, who will be his counterpart as of next Sunday when Petro is sworn in as president, “successful”.

“Colombia and Venezuela met again in peace, in love, in freedom, looking to the future. It has been a successful, virtuous, extraordinary meeting”, highlighted President Maduro, according to the Venezuelan newspaper ‘El Universal’.

Minister Faría and his future Colombian counterpart met on Thursday for more than two hours in a meeting in which they discussed the resumption of bilateral relations, among other issues.

“They conversed on 14 topics. All the opportunities that are opening up for the entire border and western region of the country. They talked about the progressive economic and commercial opening of the border or the plans towards the future of union”, Maduro confirmed.

Relations between Bogota and Caracas have been tense throughout the term of the current Colombian president, Ivan Duque, both because of the accusation of harboring criminals, as well as the lack of recognition of Maduro as Venezuelan head of state while it has endorsed Juan Guaidó as “president in charge”.