Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez agreed on Friday to military cooperation to tackle crime on their shared border. Petro's visit marked the first to Caracas by a foreign leader since the US ouster of Nicolas Maduro.

Petro said the joint effort would focus on "freeing border areas from the mafias engaged in a range of illegal businesses, starting with cocaine, illicit gold, human trafficking and rare minerals." The Catatumbo region, which lies in northern Colombia on the border with Venezuela, became an epicenter of violence over a year ago, with rival left-wing extremist groups fighting for control over human trafficking, weapons trade, illegal mining, drug cultivation and cocaine trade.

Rodriguez stated that both countries have undertaken the task of making military plans and immediately establishing mechanisms for sharing information and developing intelligence. The two leaders also agreed to step up trade and bilateral efforts to ensure electricity provisions to blackout-prone western Venezuela.

"It makes no sense for Colombia or Venezuela to look toward other latitudes, another hemisphere, for what we can get in our own territories," Rodriguez said in a joint statement. She highlighted that electrical and gas interconnection would not only supply gas to Colombia but also enable joint gas exports to other countries.

Rodriguez assumed the role of Venezuela's acting president after strongman leader Nicolas Maduro was kidnapped by US forces during a Caracas raid and ultimately brought to New York City to face criminal charges. The Trump administration backs Rodriguez's interim government, which has opened Venezuela's state-owned oil industry to US companies.

Petro had staunchly denounced the US military operation, while Trump has accused the leftist leader of not doing enough to battle drug production. Relations between Colombia and Venezuela have long been shaky. In 2019, Colombia's former President Ivan Duque severed ties with Caracas after refusing to recognize Maduro's election. The South American neighbors restored full diplomatic ties under Petro in 2022.

Petro did not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader following the latter's disputed 2024 re-election, but continued to maintain diplomatic relations. A meeting between Petro and Rodriguez was earlier scheduled for March in the Colombian border town of Cucuta, but was abruptly canceled.

Colombia and Venezuela also have deep historical and cultural ties, particularly along their shared 2,200-kilometer border. Many families in the region are binational. Some 3 million Venezuelan migrants have settled in Colombia over the last few years after fleeing an economic collapse in their home country.

Source: www.dw.com