© Reuters. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro meet at Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela January 7, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria
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By Deisy Buitrago
CARACAS (Reuters) – Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro mentioned binational funding and commerce at a gathering in Caracas on Saturday, the Colombian authorities mentioned.
The international locations have renewed political ties since Petro took workplace in August 2022, reopening commerce and promising to work collectively on points together with agriculture and administration of borders.
Discussions on the assembly, the presidents’ second, centered on related matters as after they first met in October – administration of a newly re-opened border, efforts to extend commerce and the peace talks that Bogota is holding with insurgent group the Nationwide Liberation Military (ELN), Petro’s workplace mentioned in an announcement.
“We had a whole and really fruitful assembly. Now we have a transparent joint work plan that can preserve giving optimistic outcomes for our international locations,” Maduro mentioned on Twitter.
The 2 males have beforehand mentioned they may strengthen cooperation over Monomeros, a Colombia-based fertilizer producer which is owned by Venezuelan state chemical firm Pequiven. Colombia’s finance minister has mentioned his nation could also be open to purchasing Monomeros.
Venezuela is a guarantor nation at Colombia’s talks with the ELN and hosted the primary spherical of negotiations between the 2 sides, which resulted in December.
Caracas broke off relations with Bogota in 2019 after Venezuelan opposition activists tried to ship assist vans from Colombia. Maduro’s authorities mentioned it was a entrance for an tried coup.
Earlier governments in Bogota have accused Maduro of harboring Colombian insurgent teams and criminals, accusations he has denied.
