Petro and Rodriguez agree on cooperation!
Delcy Rodriguez and Gustavo Petro will fight mutual border mafias!
Caracas, Apr 24 (EFE).-
Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez and Colombian President Gustavo Petro agreed Friday in Caracas on joint action to dismantle the mafias that operate on their common border, and energy integration between the two countries.
In what marked the first visit of a foreign head of state to Venezuela since the capture of Nicolas Maduro by the US forces in January, Petro and Rodriguez focused on long-standing problems such as drug trafficking, illegal mining and human trafficking.
“We have taken a very serious approach,” Rodriguez and Petro told reporters after a long bilateral meeting that included ministers from both countries and members of the Colombia-Venezuela Commission on Neighborhood and Integration at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.
Rodriguez said they proposed the immediate establishment of mechanisms for the exchange of information and the development of intelligence, which, she said, should “enter into force immediately.”
Petro, on his part, underlined that border towns must be “freed” from mafias and advocated for joint and coordinated work between the two nations.
“The border cannot belong to anyone but the people,” said the Colombian leader, adding that the operation must include actions at the security and social levels.
Colombia and Venezuela share a 2,219 kilometers border (1,378-mile) extending from the Caribbean Sea to the Amazon, where armed groups such as the National Liberation Army (ELN), drug trafficking gangs, and smugglers proliferate.
The two leaders also discussed energy integration between their nations, although Rodríguez acknowledged that the region bordering Colombia “suffers from what has been the process of divestment of the national electricity system,” afflicted by the constant blackouts.
According to Rodriguez, the sanctions against his country have affected the provision of spare parts and the maintenance of the grid.
“The electricity interconnection is just a step away and so is the gas interconnection,” the Chavista leader said, without giving more details in this regard.
She also said they also discussed the possibility of transporting gas to Colombia and carrying out joint exports.
Both leaders pointed out, without elaborating, that they addressed tourism and environmental issues, while pointing out that last year bilateral trade between them amounted to $1.2 billion dollars. Moreover, they highlighted the need for union and integration of both countries. EFE
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