The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petrotravel this November 1 to Venezuela. The meeting has generated much expectation since it is the first time that a Colombian president has visited Venezuelan territory since 2016, when Juan Manuel Santos visited Puerto Ordaz.
(You may be interested in: The key points of the meeting of presidents Petro and Maduro in Caracas)
from Caracas, THE TIME accessed the agenda unofficial detailing what Petro’s activities will be like in the Miraflores Palace, where he will meet with Nicolás Maduro this Tuesday afternoon. The arrival of the Colombian president is scheduled for noon.
(See also: Why Nicolas Maduro does not travel to Colombia to meet Gustavo Petro?)
The agenda will be as follows:
– Gustavo Petro You will arrive at the Puerta Dorada area of the Miraflores Palace. There he will be received by NIcolas Maduro.
– Then there will be some honors by the Parada Group.
– Then there will be a presentation by the delegations of both countries.
– Subsequently, a private meeting between Petro and Maduro is planned, and a lunch between the two.
– Then, both leaders will give a public meeting in which announcements are expected.
– After these activities, the meeting at the Miraflores Palace will end.
What issues will the leaders deal with?
Now, “the bilateral relationship between the two countries, the reopening of borders and the re-entry of Venezuela to the inter-American human rights system” will be topics on the agenda at a lunch between the rulers, according to a statement released by the Colombian presidency on Monday.
Another issue will undoubtedly be bilateral trade between the two nations.
One of the first big decisions in the approaches Caracas-Bogotá was the reopening for the transport of goods of the 2,200 km binational border, last September, with restricted passage since 2015 and completely blocked since 2019.
Along the way, the commercial exchange between Venezuela and Colombia, which reached 7.2 billion dollars a year 14 years ago, plummeted to 400 million in 2021.
The Colombian-Venezuelan Chamber of Integration (Cavecol) estimates that the resumption of border traffic could help bring it to 1.2 billion this year.
However, Petro himself has been disappointed by the low commercial flow and considers that the exchange continues to be done through illegal steps, known as trails.
ANA RODRIGUEZ BRAZON
TIME CORRESPONDENT
CARACAS
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