Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez and Colombian Congressperson Gloria Flórez, after signing a memorandum of understanding in the city of Cúcuta, October 21, 2022. Photo: Twitter/@Asamblea_Ven.
This Friday, October 21, the binational meeting of Venezuelan and Colombian parliamentarians was held in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, Norte de Santander, near the border with Venezuela. In Cúcuta, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, said that the most important issues being discussed are trade, transportation, complete opening of the border, and security.
He pointed out that parliamentarians from the two countries will address these issues together with mayors, governors, councilors, merchants, business owners, farmers and peasants from the border areas, in order to accompany in legislative matters, all the policies issued by the two presidents, Gustavo Petro and Nicolás Maduro.
“The love between our peoples has triumphed, the love for our common history, our common ancestors, and that is the reason why we are meeting today, the parliamentarians of the Colombian Congress and the deputies of the National Assembly of Venezuela,” he said.
Agreement
“We have an agreement that will allow us to jointly address social, commercial, economic, political, and social issues, which are fundamental for the harmonious development of the lives of our peoples in the border,” Deputy Rodríguez added.
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“We are in constant coordination with the Colombian Congress—this is a very important meeting that will open opportunities for future meetings,” he said, explaining that the parliamentary function is one of “political and social accompaniment so that the voice of the people of the border can be heard.”
#EncuentroBinacional || Venezuela y Colombia firman acuerdo por el entendimiento de ambas naciones. pic.twitter.com/TObDRddiv0
— Asamblea Nacional 🇻🇪 (@Asamblea_Ven) October 21, 2022
Integration
The president of the Legislative Commission of Colombia, Gloria Flórez, said that Colombia and Venezuela have returned to the path of integration. “Together we hold the flags of Simón Bolívar, Manuela Sáenz and all the liberators, so as never to break diplomatic relations between the two sister countries,” she stressed.
Flórez also said that during the meeting the most important issues of the inhabitants of the borders were addressed, “and we will continue to do so to unite the peoples for the regional and Latin American cause.”
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“Nobody will ever be able to divide us, the peoples are united. The rupture affected our diplomatic relationship by closing the border and the consulates, which are so important for both peoples,” she added.
According to Gloria Flórez, the message is that “these relations between Colombia and Venezuela must focus on border development as the most important matter.” In this regard, she pointed out that the productive forces must be developed and all the municipalities must be supported for productive development, in order to improve the quality of life, employment and social programs, which “we will carry out together to address border relations.”
Binational Parliamentary Meeting
The Venezuelan delegation crossed the border between the two countries on foot and was received on the Colombian side by the members of the Second Commission of the Colombian Senate, which is in charge of foreign affairs of Colombia.
During the binational parliamentary meeting, in which 36 Colombian parliamentarians and 32 from Venezuela participated, a roadmap was drawn up to attend to the issues that affect the citizens of both countries who live in the Venezuela-Colombia border area. In this regard, starting from October 21, five binational meetings will be held in different border communities, in which various issues will be addressed.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
