Two days before the controversial inauguration of Nicolas Maduro for a third presidential term, Gustavo Petro defended Colombia’s decision to attend the ceremony. As tensions between Venezuela and its neighbors grow, with diplomatic breaks involving Argentina, Chile and Paraguay, Colombia appears determined to maintain the approach it has taken toward Venezuela since the start of Petro’s term, seeking to manage relations with its turbulent neighbor.
Colombia to attend Maduro’s controversial inauguration
While the government faces opposition pressure over the likely attendance of Colombian officials at Maduro’s presidential inauguration next Friday, January 10, President Petro defended his stance amid the latest political crisis gripping the region.
“The biggest mistake Colombia could make is to repeat the errors of Duque and Ramírez. Handing the border over to the mafia and condemning Colombians and Venezuelans to hunger, triggering a mass exodus to the north, is no rational solution,” the Colombian president stated earlier today, January 8.
“The destiny of Venezuela belongs to Venezuelans. Colombia must assist, if invited, in any effort toward dialogue and the democratic, peaceful reconstruction of our neighboring country,” he added.
Two weeks ago, the government confirmed its attendance at Maduro’s inauguration. “The Colombian government, like many other governments in the region, will likely send a representative to President Maduro’s inauguration,” Colombia’s Vice Foreign Minister Jorge Rojas said at the time.
The decision was confirmed today by Petro himself, who declared that Colombia’s ambassador to Venezuela, Milton Rengifo, would attend Maduro’s inauguration.
The decision sparked national controversy, as Maduro’s reelection remains highly contested. Facing accusations of election rigging, the Chavista regime has continued its crackdown on the opposition, and Maduro is set to assume another presidential term.
Petro’s Venezuelan policy
As in many aspects of foreign policy, Petro has taken a markedly different approach compared to previous administrations. Following two decades of diplomatic conflicts under Uribe, Santos, and Duque, Petro broke with Colombia’s historical stance by deciding to reengage with Maduro and the Chavista regime.
At the beginning of his presidency in August 2022, Petro officially restored diplomatic relations with the contested Venezuelan regime, leading to the reopening of the border, the resumption of trade, and, most notably, a historic visit to Venezuela last April. This was the first by a Colombian president since Juan Manuel Santos visited the country in November 2011.
Why Colombia won’t break ties with Maduro under Petro
This reconciliation was made possible by two major factors.
First, there is an ideological affinity between Petro’s left-wing administration and Maduro’s regime. A former member of the M-19 guerrilla group, Petro is more receptive to the Chavista movement. He met Chavez in July 1994 in Bogota, describing the encounter as one where they “found ideological alignment in the fight against corruption and in Bolivarian discourse.” Simon Bolívar is a central figure in both Chavista and M-19 ideologies. Petro also remarked, “The Bolivarian project is the first democratic project in Latin America.”
On the other hand, the Colombia-Venezuela reconciliation under Petro has come at the expense of Colombia’s traditional support for the Venezuelan political opposition. Indeed, Venezuela’s 2024 presidential campaign and elections have been marked by Colombia’s silence on the censorship of opposition leader María Corina Machado and the regime’s refusal to release voting records, which are key guarantees of transparent results.
As such, the reconciliation between the two nations is fragile, hinging more on Colombia’s willingness to make concessions than on any flexibility from Venezuela, whose regime has over the last decade increasingly aligned itself with Eurasian actors such as Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey.
In addition, Colombia remains deeply affected by the political and diplomatic crisis in Venezuela during the Duque/Trump years, which triggered a massive influx of Venezuelan refugees into the country. To this day, despite efforts by the Colombian government, the integration of the Venezuelan community remains partial. Many Venezuelan immigrants face discrimination and are more vulnerable to poverty, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and criminal activity than the average Colombian.
As the Petro government continues to face heavy criticism a little over a year before the 2026 presidential elections, reconciliation with Venezuela stands as one of the few solid achievements of his presidency. To defend the decision to attend Maduro’s inauguration, Petro emphasized seeking a political agreement with Venezuela to guarantee human rights. Meanwhile, key promises such as “Total Peace” and improving living conditions have made little progress.