Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond
From Venezuela and made by Venezuelan Chavistas
Félix Plasencia, the new Venezuelan ambassador to Colombia and former minister for foreign affairs, next to a sculpture of Simon Bolivar and the Venezuelan flag in an office showing the Warairarepano mountain of Caracas in the background. File photo.
The government led by Gustavo Petro gave its approval to Félix Plasencia as Venezuela’s ambassador to Colombia, at the beginning of a new stage of ties between both countries.
This Wednesday, August 17, the minister for foreign affairs of Venezuela, Carlos Faría, announced via Twitter of the Colombian government’s decision, chaired by Gustavo Petro since August 9.
“It is a historic moment that marks a new stage in diplomatic relations in favor of peace, union and progress,” Faría wrote.
RELATED CONTENT: Colombia’s President Petro: Guaidó’s Presidency is Non-Existent
On August 11, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced the appointment of Plasencia as “ambassador in Colombia,” as well as the creation of a special team on Colombia, led by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, to deal with various issues of interest between the two neighboring countries whose relations were severed during the mandate of Petro’s predecessor, Iván Duque.
Recibimos el beneplácito del gobierno de Colombia para la designación de nuestro compañero @plasenciafelixr como embajador en esa hermana nación. Momento histórico que marca una nueva etapa en las relaciones diplomáticas en favor de la paz, unión y progreso. pic.twitter.com/kxSvrliHCb
— Carlos Faria (@Fariacrt) August 17, 2022
At the end of July, Faría met with Álvaro Leyva, appointed as the future Colombian foreign minister, and they agreed to start the process to resume diplomatic relations, gradually reopen the border between the two nations and strengthen commercial and economic exchange.
RELATED CONTENT: Venezuela Recovers Monómeros, New Board of Directors Appointed
On Thursday, Petro officially named Armando Benedetti as Colombia’s top diplomatic representative in Venezuela.
Political and diplomatic relations between Caracas and Bogotá were broken in February 2019, after the Colombian government decided to recognize opposition former deputy Juan Guaidó as “interim president” of Venezuela. With the arrival of Petro to the presidency of Colombia, the two countries have made efforts to improve bilateral relations.
Presidente @petrogustavo, lo sorprenderé cuando lleguemos a 10 mil mill de dólares en intercambio comercial, cuando beneficiemos a los más de 8 mill de colombianos que viven en la frontera. Ninguna línea imaginaria nos volverá a separar como hermanos.
¡GRACIAS POR SU CONFIANZA!— Armando Benedetti (@AABenedetti) August 12, 2022
Venezuelan parliament confirms meetings with Colombian legislature
For his part, the president of the Permanent Commission on Foreign Policy, Sovereignty and Integration of the National Assembly (AN) of Venezuela, deputy Timoteo Zambrano reported Tuesday that two upcoming meetings with the Colombian congress will be held in the border area between both countries, as part of the binational dialogue that is being carried out to rebuild diplomatic, commercial and friendly bilateral relations.
(HispanTV)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DD/EF
