Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has announced that she and Colombian President Gustavo Petro agreed to hold a bilateral meeting to discuss security issues, as well as economic and energy matters.
“We continue to promote a relationship of understanding and shared benefits for the wellbeing of our peoples,” Rodriguez said in a post shared on Instagram on Wednesday.
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Speaking in La Guajira, Colombia’s northernmost border region with Venezuela, Petro said he had invited Rodriguez to meet in the border city of Cucuta to discuss energy cooperation and infrastructure projects. He also did not provide further details about the timing of the meeting.
Colombia and Venezuela share a border that stretches across more than 2,200 kilometres (1,370 miles), shaping their often fragile relationship. In recent years, their ties have grown more complex amid the arrival of nearly three million Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia.
Translation: Today I spoke with the president of the Republic of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and we agreed to hold a high-level bilateral meeting soon to continue advancing key issues on the economic, energy and security agenda, within the framework of strengthening cooperation and relations based on mutual respect and joint work between our two countries. We remain committed to promoting a relationship grounded in understanding and shared benefits for the wellbeing of our peoples.
Renewed ties with the US
The announcement also comes as Venezuela adjusts to its new government, following the removal of its former leader, Nicolas Maduro.
On January 3, the United States abducted Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a military action and transported them to New York.
In the weeks since, the Venezuelan Supreme Court appointed Rodriguez as acting president.
She was formally sworn in on January 5, with support from both Venezuela’s military and the governing party, as well as the US.
But international groups and Venezuela’s opposition have questioned her legitimacy, given the absence of an elected mandate.
Critics and international bodies like the European Union have also scrutinised Rodriguez’s deep ties to the Maduro government, which faced accusations of widespread human rights abuses. She previously served as Maduro’s vice president.
US President Donald Trump, however, has signalled support for Rodriguez, though he has indicated that his backing is predicated on how responsive she is to US demands.
So far, Rodriguez has overseen reforms including a new law that opens Venezuela’s nationalised oil sector to foreign investment, a key Trump priority.
Meanwhile, the US has begun easing some sanctions to facilitate oil production under the new administration.
Regional diplomacy intensifies
The shake-up in Venezuela’s leadership has ushered in a renewed period of international diplomacy for the country, long isolated by US sanctions.
On Wednesday, Venezuela hosted Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Media reports also indicated that top US military officials, including General Francis Donovan and Pentagon leader Joseph Humire, had arrived that same day for an unpublicised visit, marking one of the first high-level delegations from the Pentagon to land in Venezuela since Maduro’s removal.
Those visits arrive on the heels of a meeting last week between Rodriguez and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the first official from Trump’s cabinet to visit Venezuela.
Trump himself has hinted in recent weeks that he could take a diplomatic trip to Venezuela. If he does so, he would be the first sitting US president in almost three decades to set foot in Caracas.
Petro, the Colombian president, was not among the leaders to shun Venezuela during Maduro’s years in power.
Since taking office in 2022, Petro has worked to improve relations with Venezuela’s left-wing government, restoring diplomatic ties and reopening the border after years of strained relations. He also visited Maduro multiple times, most recently in April 2024.
However, their ties were tested by Venezuela’s contested 2024 election. Maduro claimed victory for a third term, but opposition leaders released voter documents that suggested otherwise, leading to widespread outcry that the vote was rigged.
Petro publicly questioned the election results and said Colombia would not recognise the vote’s legitimacy.
“The past elections in Venezuela were not free,” Petro wrote on social media, blasting Maduro for having ignored “Colombia’s request for maximum transparency”.
He ultimately boycotted Maduro’s inauguration in 2025, refusing to attend.
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2026-02-18 20:39:06
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