Colombian President Gustavo Petro greeting the press after his meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at Miraflores Palace, Caracas, April 9, 2024. Photo: Reuters.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, met with sectors of the opposition during his visit to Venezuela.
President Petro reported on social media that on Wednesday, April 10, he met with sectors of the opposition, as part of his “perspective of building political peace.”
The meeting with the Venezuelan opposition took place after his meeting with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, on Tuesday afternoon.
Ayer me reuní con el.presidente Maduro y hoy con sectores de la oposición venezolana en la perspectiva de construir la paz política.
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 10, 2024
“Yesterday I met with President Maduro and today I have met with sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, with the perspective of building political peace,” the Colombian president wrote on social media.
After he met with President Maduro, Petro highlighted the importance of the joint projects of the two countries to strengthen regional unity and promote economic, technological, and political development.
He also highlighted the importance of political and military peace in the region, recognizing the role of Venezuela in the resolution of armed conflicts in Colombia.
“Political peace in Venezuela can also be peace in Colombia, and there is a possibility to build that peace quickly, urgently,” declared the Colombian president.
President Petro left Venezuela after a fruitful tour of constructive dialogue, stated Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil. He bade farewell to President Petro, and added that Petro’s tour had served to strengthen bilateral relations.
Minister Gil added that Venezuela and Colombia will continue to move forward together along the path of friendship and diplomacy.
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Whom in the opposition did Petro meet?
President Petro’s remarks were not received well by some far-right factions in the Venezuelan opposition. Andrés Velásquez, of the Causa R party, claimed that the Colombian president had not met with the “majority” opposition and scolded him for whom he met.
“You announced that you met with the Venezuelan opposition. As you well know, the Venezuelan opposition is integrated as a collective, on a platform of democratic unity, signatory of the Barbados agreement, Mexico talks, the primaries, and María Corina [Machado]. Whom did you meet?” wrote Velásquez on social media, tagging President Petro.
The communications team of far-right leader María Corina Machado told the EFE media outlet that she did not participate in these meetings either.
Far-right Venezuelan politician Nicmer Evans wrote on social media that President Petro had met with presidential candidate and governor of Zulia state, Manuel Rosales, but the details of the meeting were not disclosed. So far, neither Manuel Rosales nor his Un Nuevo Tiempo party have officially confirmed if the meeting took place.
The infighting among Venezuelan opposition factions has dramatically increased in recent days after the presidential candidates’ registration process in which María Corina Machado’s last-minute choice, Corina Yoris, was left outside of the contest, while Manuel Rosales registered as a candidate, aggravating the division inside the Unitary Platform (PUD).
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
