Colombian President-Elect Speaks To Venezuela's Maduro In Hopes Of Renewing Ties

Colombia's President-elect Gustavo Petro announced he has spoken with the government of Nicolas Maduro and said he hopes to restore relations with Venezuela.

"I have spoken with the Venezuelan government to open the borders and reestablish the full exercise of human rights at the border," Petro wrote on Twitter.

Maduro was one of the first to congratulate Petro on his "historic victory."

"I spoke with the president-elect of Colombia Gustavo Petro and on behalf of the Venezuelan people, I congratulated him on his victory. We discussed the willingness to restore normalcy at the borders, various issues on peace and the prosperous future of both peoples," Maduro wrote on Twitter.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that "the government of Venezuela expressed its firmest will to work in the construction of a renewed stage of relations."

Petro said repeatedly during the presidential campaign that one of his goals was to reestablish relations with the neighboring nation, which have been blocked for more than three years.

Since President Ivan Duque took office in 2018, Colombia joined the US in supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and his efforts to remove Maduro.

Guaido has been recognized by about 50 countries as Venezuela's interim president.

Maduro broke diplomatic relations with Colombia at that time and ordered the departure of diplomats, which caused countless inconveniences to thousands of Venezuelans and Colombians who go from one country and the other.

The border was closed in 2019 when the Venezuelan government blocked the Simon Bolivar international bridge with containers after Maduro refused to allow international aid into the country saying help was not needed.

Although Petro tried to distance himself from Maduro during the campaign, the new head of state said he is willing to gradually work on building the relationship.

"Normalizing relationships does not happen overnight. It is a process that must start from the welfare of the people, beginning with the people on the border," Petro told Caracol TV on Wednesday.

More than 6 million Venezuelans have fled the country, many to Colombia, in search of a better economic situation. -