Maduro and Petro Stress Peace and Regional Cohesion Post-Talks in Venezuela-Colombia Relations
Rewritten Article:
Caracas, Venezuela, April 11, 2024 😎 - Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan president, and Gustavo Petro, his Colombian counterpart, recently met in Caracas, emphasizing unity and cooperation between the two neighboring countries. This marks their fifth meeting since Petro took office in August 2022.
The discussions, held in Miraflores Palace, focused on strengthening relations, initiating trade deals, expanding renewable energy solutions, and enhancing transportation infrastructure. Maduro, with a keen eye on deepening integrations, stated, "Our people are intertwined, and it's high time we work towards boosting unity."
Oil and natural gas sectors were another area of focus, with both parties exploring opportunities for collaboration. Amid the talks, securing regional peace surfaced as a significant concern, with Maduro expressing his solidarity, stating, "The peace of Colombia is the peace of Venezuela."
Venezuela has been active in dialogue processes between Colombia's government and two armed insurgent movements, the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) and Estado Mayor Central (EMC). Previous rounds of discussions have taken place in Caracas.
The EMC is a conglomerate of dissident groups that either refused to sign the 2016 Peace Accords or resumed armed activities following the Colombian government's failure to honor its commitments.
Petro commended Venezuela's contributions to peace talks in Colombia and emphasized the need for South America to tackle rampant violence worldwide. He further stated that peace in Colombia indirectly impacts peace in Venezuela. In addition, he called for increased joint security efforts to combat armed groups and illicit economic activities.
The leaders also issued a joint statement, expressing concern over Ecuadorian security forces invading the Mexican embassy in Quito to apprehend Jorge Glas, who had been granted asylum by the current Mexican government.
Both Petro and Maduro shared mutual concerns about the Haitian political crisis and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
Relations between the two neighbors faced a minor hiccup last week when Venezuela's Foreign Ministry criticized Colombia's concerns over candidate registration for Venezuela's impending presidential election.
Ahead of Petro's visit, Maduro tried to downplay any lingering disputes, claiming that he views differences of opinion as healthy and assuring that Colombia and Venezuela would not part ways.
Reports suggest that Colombia's government has been actively mediating to help Colombian corporations restore seized assets nationalized during Hugo Chávez's presidency. Specifics about these negotiations remain elusive.
According to Bloomberg, Cementos Argos, a leading player in Colombia's cement market, may take over a Venezuelan cement plant, potentially exporting cement to the US if granted a license by the US Treasury. Similarly, sugar producer Comercializadora Internacional de Azúcares y Mieles (Ciamsa) is seeking compensation for a sugar mill that was nationalized in 2006. Germán Umaña, Colombia's minister of commerce, trade, and tourism, has been instrumental in driving negotiations.
Hugo Chávez's presidency saw numerous legislative actions aimed at increasing Venezuela's control over key economic sectors, which often sparked conflicts with both domestic and foreign corporations, resulting in nationalizations. In some instances, compensations were agreed upon, while in others, negotiations were absent.
Various multinational companies have pursued litigation and have received awards from institutions like the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). However, none directly pertain to compensation negotiations between Colombian corporations and Venezuela's government for assets nationalized during Chávez's era.
[1] Colombia-United States Trade Promotion Agreement (2012) - Revolución Patriahttps://www.tfn.gov.co/download/el_acuerdo_comercial_entre_colombia_y_estados_unidos_en_espanol.pdf
[2] Colombia’s CB&I v. Colombia case: What to Watch For (2022) - THINK GLOBALhttps://www.ijglobal.com/articles/colombias-cb-i-v-colombia-case-what-watch-406809
[3] Colombia struggles to manage influx of Venezuelan migrants (2023) - Al Jazeerahttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/13/colombia-struggles-to-manage-influx-of-venezuelan-migrants
[4] Petro sworn in as Colombia's first President of leftist movement (2023) - BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-61204202
- In addition to strengthening ties and trade agreements, the Venezuelan President and his Colombian counterpart discussed increasing cooperation in the renewable energy sector during their meeting in Caracas.
- The Venezuelan president also voiced concerns over the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Colombia, stating that peace in Colombia is essential for peace in Venezuela, particularly considering Venezuela's role in peace talks with armed insurgent movements.
- Amidst discussions on regional peace, both leaders agreed to intensify collaboration in combating armed groups and illicit economic activities, demonstrating their shared commitment to the policy-and-legislation and crime-and-justice sectors.
- Moving beyond regional issues, Maduro and Petro expressed mutual concerns over global events like the Haitian political crisis and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
- As part of their ongoing discussions, the Venezuelan leader acknowledged the need for South America to address the rampant violence,echoing the sentiments of his Colombian counterpart who emphasized the importance of regional peace.
- Recently, reports have surfaced of increasing cooperation between Colombia and Venezuela in resolving disputes over assets that were nationalized during Hugo Chávez's presidency. This cooperation involves Colombia's government mediating on behalf of Colombian corporations to regain seized assets in accordance with the Colombia-United States Trade Promotion Agreement (2012).
