With the arrival of Gustavo Petro to the presidency of Colombia in August 2022, a new era in bilateral relations between Colombia and Venezuela began. A drastic change, as Petro’s predecessor, Iván Duque, focused his efforts on ignoring the government of Nicolás Maduro, leading a “diplomatic siege” initiative in the region and recognizing Juan Guaidó as leader of the Venezuelan government before the world.
Shortly after Petro became president, his first efforts focused on rekindling relations with Venezuela, recognizing Nicolás Maduro as a legitimate interlocutor and even naming one of the men who strongly supported his presidential campaign, Armando Benedetti, as ambassador in Caracas. .
As for relations between the countries, several topics are on the agenda: border security and the fight against guerrillas and other illegal armed groups in the region; the management of the fertilizer company Monomeros Colombo-Venezolanos, important for Petro’s political stakes; and, finally, the negotiations between the Venezuelan opposition and the Maduro government, in which Colombia acts as an ally.
Security
Since the beginning of the century, relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been marked by ruptures and approximations. In the government of Álvaro Uribe, there was a first disagreement with the government of Hugo Chávez, due to disagreements over Venezuelan mediation for the release of some kidnapped by the FARC. With the arrival of Juan Manuel Santos, good relations between the two countries were resumed; Santos began referring to Chávez as “my new best friend”. Later, in the presidency of Iván Duque, there was a new setback, with the rupture of relations and even leadership, on the part of the Colombian government, so that Juan Guaidó was recognized as president of Venezuela on the international stage. Recently, Petro resumed relations with Venezuela and wants to work with Nicolás Maduro to favor the economy of both countries.
As far as security is concerned, there is a porous border between Colombia and Venezuela, through which illegal armed groups, such as the FARC and the ELN in the past, and more recently criminal gangs formed by demobilized members of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, such as “Los Trails”. At the international level, some governments have denounced the presence of these groups’ camps in Venezuelan territory or the control they exercise over clandestine trade routes and even the trafficking of people who enter Colombia illegally.
On the other hand, Venezuela has been an ally of the Colombian governments that have tried to dialogue with the guerrillas to put an end to the conflict: it was a guarantor in the peace negotiations with the FARC in Havana and it still is in the ongoing ones with the ELN. In fact, in early 2023, there was a meeting between the Colombian government and the ELN in Venezuela to address some events that caused the truce to break and prevented a new cycle of dialogues. Also recently announced was the commitment to try joint efforts between the Colombian and Venezuelan armies to fight ELN factions or dissidents that do not accept the ceasefire pact.
disputes
The Colombian-Venezuelan company Monomeros was created in the late 1960s with the participation of state entities from both countries, including Ecopetrol (Colombia’s state-owned hydrocarbon company) and the Petrochemical Institute of Venezuela. His goal is linked to the fertilizer market, especially after taking over Cargill’s operation in Colombia. However, in 2006, Colombia sold its shares to Venezuela, which ended up with 100% by buying the stake from another Dutch investor.
In 2019, with the rupture between the Colombian and Venezuelan governments, the then president of Colombia, Iván Duque, recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela, which gave him control of Monomeros, a company registered in Colombia. Thus, the Venezuelan opposition – the parties Acción Democrática (of Henrique Capriles) and Voluntad Popular (of Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López) – managed to nominate the members of the board of directors of the company, instead of those appointed by the Maduro government.
On an official visit to the United States, Gustavo Petro defended the progressive lifting of sanctions against Venezuela
With the change of president in Colombia, control of Monómeros returned to Maduro, and investigations were announced against Juan Guaidó and the board appointed when the company was under his mandate, for alleged irregularities in management. On the Colombian side, some authorities, including the ambassador in Venezuela, stated that the government intends to buy back the company, mainly to meet the domestic demand for fertilizers and as an important part of Petro’s discourse on food sovereignty and stimulus to agricultural production. But we must wait for the panorama of US sanctions against the Maduro government, which penalize investments in Venezuela, to become clearer, and for there to be a firm offer for the value of the company. It also remains to be decided whether the buyer would be the Colombian government or a mixed public-private figure.
Dialogue with the Opposition
On April 25, a summit of countries allied to the dialogue process between the Venezuelan government and its opponents was held in Bogotá, in order to revive the meetings that both parties had been having in Mexico. The talks seek, among other things, to ensure that the next presidential elections in Venezuela, in 2024, will be free and transparent. Neither members of the Venezuelan government nor the opposition attended this meeting, but envoys from the United States and other countries guaranteeing the process, such as Norway. There, a commitment was made to inform both the opposition and the Venezuelan government about the agreements reached and to continue the process of resuming dialogues in Mexico.
It is noteworthy that days before the summit, the Colombian president was in the United States on an official visit, in which he defended the progressive lifting of sanctions against Venezuela if it complies with electoral guarantees. Likewise, the United States resumed its relations with Venezuela since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, eased some sanctions and unblocked some accounts, with a commitment to promote dialogue.
One of the events that caused an uproar at the Bogotá summit was the arrival in the country of oppositionist Juan Guaidó, who complained that he was not invited or taken into account. Guaidó was sent by plane to Miami, after Gustavo Petro said that the Venezuelan opponent’s entry into Colombia was carried out irregularly – he did not stamp his passport – and that his trip to that country had been arranged with the United States government.
What comes next?
Gustavo Petro’s international work has focused on showing him as a South American leader, who seeks to unite the Andean countries and who, through a discourse of care for the planet, wants to highlight the importance of the Amazon and other forests to mitigate climate change. Likewise, he sought to reactivate supranational organizations and alliances such as the Andean Community (CAN), taking advantage of the fact that there is once again a majority of countries with leftist governments in the region.
Gustavo Petro’s international work has focused on showing him as a leader in South America, who seeks to unite the Andean countries
Its interests in relations with Venezuela seek to solve two major problems that Colombia has: the presence of Venezuelan migrants in its territory and the possible purchase of the company Monomeros. As for the first, he has a joint concern with the United States, since the North American country wants to prevent the Venezuelan diaspora from joining the Central American migrant caravans. As for the company Monomeros, the possible purchase is still pending the resolution of the US sanctions situation against Venezuela.
In this way, diplomacy and good neighborliness seek to bring Colombian interests to fruition. The reestablishment of relations between the two countries is a great initial step, as it allows for differentiated actions. It should also be understood that now oil from Venezuela becomes an option for the United States due to the effects of the war promoted by Russia, so sanctions and blockades can be relaxed to reopen this trade route.
Efforts by Colombia, the United States and the international community, aimed at transparency and guarantees for the 2024 Venezuelan presidential elections, will continue. Meanwhile, the possible re-election of Joe Biden and a government of Gustavo Petro, who is moving towards the conclusion of the first of four years of his term, are in the middle of the road.
© 2023 Acerensa. Published with permission. Original in Spanish.
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