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Colombia, Venezuela Agree to Joint Security Effort in Visit
(MENAFN) Venezuela and Colombia have committed to closer military coordination focused on border security and organized crime during a high-level meeting in Caracas, as Colombian President Gustavo Petro became the first foreign leader to visit Venezuela following the removal of former leader Nicolás Maduro.
The talks were held between Petro and Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power after Maduro was ousted in a US military operation earlier this year.
Both leaders agreed on the need for coordinated action to address criminal networks operating along their shared border. Petro emphasized that the joint initiative would target illegal activities including drug trafficking, illicit gold extraction, human trafficking, and the smuggling of rare minerals. Rodríguez, for her part, stated that both sides would work on formal military planning as well as establish rapid mechanisms for intelligence sharing between their security institutions.
The meeting comes after months of political disruption in Venezuela following Maduro’s removal and represents a rare moment of direct engagement between the two governments at presidential level. The planned summit between the leaders had originally been scheduled earlier in the year but was postponed.
The border region between the two countries has long been considered unstable, with armed groups and illicit economies operating across both sides. Colombia has previously accused Venezuela of tolerating or indirectly enabling some of these groups, while Venezuela has rejected such claims.
The United States continues to play a significant role in the political transition in Caracas, with the current interim government receiving diplomatic backing from Washington and opening parts of Venezuela’s oil sector to foreign investment.
Despite past tensions, both Bogotá and Caracas now appear focused on rebuilding cooperation in security and trade, particularly in areas related to border stability and regional economic activity.
The talks were held between Petro and Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power after Maduro was ousted in a US military operation earlier this year.
Both leaders agreed on the need for coordinated action to address criminal networks operating along their shared border. Petro emphasized that the joint initiative would target illegal activities including drug trafficking, illicit gold extraction, human trafficking, and the smuggling of rare minerals. Rodríguez, for her part, stated that both sides would work on formal military planning as well as establish rapid mechanisms for intelligence sharing between their security institutions.
The meeting comes after months of political disruption in Venezuela following Maduro’s removal and represents a rare moment of direct engagement between the two governments at presidential level. The planned summit between the leaders had originally been scheduled earlier in the year but was postponed.
The border region between the two countries has long been considered unstable, with armed groups and illicit economies operating across both sides. Colombia has previously accused Venezuela of tolerating or indirectly enabling some of these groups, while Venezuela has rejected such claims.
The United States continues to play a significant role in the political transition in Caracas, with the current interim government receiving diplomatic backing from Washington and opening parts of Venezuela’s oil sector to foreign investment.
Despite past tensions, both Bogotá and Caracas now appear focused on rebuilding cooperation in security and trade, particularly in areas related to border stability and regional economic activity.
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