The visit yesterday by Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, to Caracas, where he met with his Venezuelan counterpart, Delcy Rodriguez, resulted in a series of agreements on various issues. Petro met with Rodríguez for the first time since she assumed office as interim president, following the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3 in a U.S. military operation.
After several bilateral meetings, which also included the foreign ministers of both countries and lasted more than three hours, President Petro and President Rodriguez announced the consolidation of a joint agenda to strengthen border security, reactivate trade integration, and advance cooperation within the framework of the Colombia–Venezuela Presidential Meeting.
During the joint statement, the two leaders highlighted progress in reactivating bilateral relations, including the recovery of trade, cooperation on security, and the implementation of institutional mechanisms to address common challenges along the border.
The agreements between Colombia and Venezuela
One of the main agreements focuses on the coordinated fight against illegal economies and criminal organizations operating in the border area.
In this regard, President Petro referred to the need to “configure a common, coordinated effort to free the peoples of the border from mafias,” referring to phenomena such as drug trafficking, illegal mining, and human trafficking.
The president emphasized that the border must serve communities rather than criminal structures. “The border cannot belong to anyone other than the people,” the head of state stressed, highlighting the importance of combining military, police, and social actions to regain territorial control.
For her part, President Delcy Rodriguez underscored that this meeting marks a key step in rebuilding bilateral relations following the reopening of the border in 2022. “This is the gradual construction of our trade relations based on the productive potential of our sectors,” the president said.
She also emphasized the recovery of trade between the two countries: “We have been restoring trade between our countries, and today we can say that last year we reached trade totaling $1.2 billion.”
Regional integration: gas and energy
President Petro also raised the need to move toward broader integration among the countries of the region, based on cooperation and joint development. “Human brotherhood begins with neighbors,” he said, adding that unity between Colombia and Venezuela is key to regional stability and progress.
During the meeting, the two governments made progress on strategic integration projects, such as electricity and gas interconnections, as well as strengthening tourism and air connectivity, with the aim of boosting both countries’ economies.
On social matters, they agreed to promote joint plans to assist the most vulnerable populations along the border, affected by violence and the presence of illegal economies, thereby strengthening state action in these territories.
With these agreements, Colombia and Venezuela are consolidating a roadmap to strengthen security, revive trade, and advance a model of integration that contributes to the region’s development and stability.
The bilateral agenda began with a private meeting between the two presidents. This was followed by an expanded meeting with the official delegations, during which institutional commitments between the two countries were consolidated.
During the day, the final report of the III Meeting of the Colombia–Venezuela Neighborhood and Integration Commission was signed by the ministers of foreign affairs in the presence of the heads of state, formalizing the agreements reached.
Con Petro se ha recuperado el comercio binacional.
Fué antinatural cerrar la vida de una comunidad de 14 millones de personas que son binacionales. pic.twitter.com/hXJWc34g0Y
— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) April 24, 2026