【Text/Observer Network Li Zexi】
According to "Agence France-Presse" reported on the 29th, Venezuela and Colombia exchanged ambassadors and exchanged letters of reference on the 28th, restoring diplomatic relations that have been broken for 3 years.
Screenshot of the AFP report
Colombian president: The step of severing ties between the two countries is a "huge mistake"
Venezuelan President Maduro appointed former Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia as the new ambassador to Colombia on the 11th, expressing confidence that he will "achieve peace and true fraternity." Plasencia arrived in Bogotá on the 28th, was received by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed his hope to promote peace diplomacy, and submitted his credentials to the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Screenshot of Plasencia Twitter
Colombia's new president, Gustavo Petro of left-wing origins, also appointed an ambassador to Venezuela on the 11th, and he chose Armando Benedetti, the former president of the Congress. Benedetti also arrived in Venezuela on the 28th and posted a video on Twitter, saying that he believed that the relationship between the two sides should not have broken down and that he would work to repair it.
Benedetti told the media that he will try to solve the needs of more than 4 million Venezuelans in Colombia to meet their needs, and now the cooperation between the two countries is crucial, so he will discuss the meeting between the presidents of the two countries with Maduro on the 29th. He then met with the Venezuelan foreign minister in front of the Palace of Flowers, the official residence of the president in Caracas, venezuela, and then presented Maduro with Colombia's credentials.
Maduro meets with Benedetti
Petro also said at the ceremony of formally appointing Benedetti on the 24th that it was a "huge mistake" for Colombia and Venezuela to break off relations, no matter how big the political differences between the two sides are, they should consider the well-being of the two peoples, especially the two peoples who are so close historically, culturally, bloodily and socially, so they are committed to normalizing the diplomacy between the two countries.
Colombian President Petro officially appointed Benedetti as ambassador to Venezuela on the 24th (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia)
The two countries severed diplomatic relations because the former Government recognized Guaido as the "interim president"
Colombia and Venezuela have also severed ties several times over fights against transnational militants and border disputes, but most were reconciled within a few days. The most recent severance of diplomatic relations came against the backdrop of the "recognition" of Guaido as "interim president" by many Western countries.
Colombia's former government "recognized" the Venezuelan opposition on January 23, 2019, with The Speaker of the National Congress, Juan Guaido, as the country's "interim president." Guaido's attempt on February 22 of the same year to send "humanitarian aid" originating from the United States into Venezuela through the then-blockaded border led to the Maduro government's announcement the next day of severing diplomatic relations with Colombia. Maduro said at the time: "We cannot continue to tolerate attacks from Colombian territory, so I have decided to sever all ties with the Colombian 'fascist regime'." ”
In 2019, Guaido attempted to "break through" Venezuela from Colombia, resulting in the severance of diplomatic relations between the two countries (Source: AFP)
Recently, with the biden administration coming to power, the international situation in Venezuela has improved significantly, and in January this year, the foreign ministers of EU member states issued a joint statement saying that the EU no longer recognizes Guaido as venezuela's "interim president", but regards him as a "special interlocutor" in the political process of Venezuela; In May, the U.S. government announced that it had eased some sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports and released some olive branches to Maduro.
Relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been limited to informal channels for the past three years, until the left-wing Petro beat a rival in the June 2022 election. Maduro was one of the first heads of state to send a telegram congratulating Petro on his election. Before and after his election, Petro said that he would recognize Maduro as venezuela's president and would strive to seek opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, including economic and trade cooperation and combating transnational militants.
Petro also hopes to restart the border that the two countries have blocked. In 2015, during the fight against smuggling along the border, three Venezuelan soldiers and a civilian were injured, and Maduro condemned colombia's right-wing paramilitary forces for launching the attack and ordered parts of the border to be closed on August 19 of that year. Maduro accused Colombia of attacking the "Venezuelan economy" in an attempt to transport food, energy and other commodities out of Venezuela through rampant smuggling. The Colombian government at the time accused Venezuela of violating civil rights.
However, this has not significantly improved the smuggling problem, but has harmed the normal life of people on both sides of the border and, to some extent, worsened the economic crisis in Venezuela; Since then, 6.8 million Venezuelans have left their homeland.
Venezuelans pouring into Colombia in 2019 (Source: AFP)
Venezuela partially opened its borders in October 2021, but only pedestrians are allowed and restricted more severely. According to the Venezuelan-Colombian Chamber of Commerce for Economic Integration, the border blockade has reduced bilateral trade from $2.4 billion in 2014 to $400 million in 2021; The chamber estimates that this could reach $800 million this year, but bilateral trade could reach $1.2 billion if trade is opened up early. US media analysis believes that Venezuela may have some concerns about the impact of the sudden opening of the border on domestic industries.
For the restoration of diplomatic relations between Colombia and Venezuela, the US State Department spokesman said on the 17th that it "respects the sovereign right of governments to establish diplomatic relations", but also "calls on democratic governments to respect the democratic norms violated by 'dictatorships' such as Venezuela's Maduro" and will "work with the international community to restore democracy and rule of law in Venezuela".
Guaido: Venezuela "hurts again"
For Benedetti's arrival in Venezuela and the resumption of bilateral relations, Venezuela's "interim president" Guaido said on the 29th that the ambassador appointed by Petro did not mention free elections, humanitarian issues, livelihood issues, ecological issues, human rights issues and other issues in Venezuela, Petro himself was democratically elected, and "the Venezuelan people are fighting for this right." He concluded by saying that not calling Maduro "a dictator" would "hurt" Venezuela again.
Guaido: Not "calling Maduro a dictator" would "hurt" Venezuela again
Before Petro came to power, Guaido had attacked him as "Maduro's accomplice". However, according to Guaido himself, after Petro was elected colombian president, he engaged in "informal communication" with members of his government, including the establishment of a mechanism to open Colombia's exports to Venezuela.
However, the cooperation between Petro and the Maduro government clearly has a "boundary". In response to calls by some senior officials of Venezuela's ruling party for Colombia to repatriate Venezuelan "murderers" and "robbers" in the country, Petro said Colombia guarantees asylum and asylum.
Petro: Colombia guarantees asylum and asylum