MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Petro and Maduro sign joint declaration, pledge to work together

Petro and Maduro met privately for over two hours at the Miraflores presidential palace

The Presidents of Colombia and Venezuela Tuesday signed a joint declaration in Caracas after their meeting marking the beginning of a new stage in bilateral ties.

Host Nicolás Maduro and Gustavo Petro also discussed the strengthening of cooperation between the subsidiary of Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) in Colombia, Monómeros, and the Venezuelan petrochemical company Pequiven, among other agreements.

They also pledged to continue working together in several areas, such as economy, trade, migration, and binational security in order to move towards full integration.

Petro and Maduro met privately for over two hours at the Miraflores presidential palace, in what was the first encounter between the two leaders after the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in August, after almost four years.

The joint declaration features part of what was discussed, which, according to Maduro, included a broad review of commercial and economic relations, as well as “new steps towards a total and assured opening of borders,” it was reported.

Venezuela's possible return to the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) was also on the agenda.

Regarding the border between both countries, closed from 2015 until September 26 last, Petro and Maduro agreed on the need to recover the areas from the control of mafias. “The border was left in the hands of mafias, of multi-crime organizations. We are going to rebuild the relations that existed, even at the intelligence level, to be able to strike at the owners of the capital,” stressed Petro, who advocates solving all existing problems jointly.

The Colombian leader also said it was “unnatural” that two neighboring countries, such as Colombia and Venezuela, have been separated, something that “should not happen.”

The two presidents also discussed environmental issues and raised the possibility of bringing a “common policy” to the upcoming COP27 in Egypt in defense of the Amazon rainforest, which they consider to be “in danger,” despite being “fundamental for the planet”.

Regarding Venezuela's return to the Inter-American Human Rights System, Maduro said he would consider Petro's initiative. The Colombian leader does not want to appear before the world as the president who unrestrictedly legitimizes the Chavista government. It was not until Maduro agreed to talk about joining the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) - an international body to which Venezuelan victims who have not received a fair trial in local courts can appeal - that Petro agreed to visit Caracas.

The IACHR is the body responsible for recommending and promoting respect for human rights by member states. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) is in charge of judging governments when reports are not sufficient or they have not heeded the recommendations previously made to them. The system has a commission as a preliminary filter for the Court, which is in Washington.

Maduro's government has been widely questioned for its lack of respect for human rights. A recent UN report concluded that a network of clandestine houses in Venezuela tortured opponents on orders from the Miraflores Palace. The report points directly to Maduro as responsible for giving the directives to commit these crimes against humanity. Chavismo described the report as a pamphlet.

Upon landing at Caracas' Simón Bolívar airport, Petro was welcomed by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and Foreign Minister Carlos Faría.

It was the first official visit of a Colombian president to Caracas in almost a decade. Former President Juan Manuel Santos met Maduro in 2013, for the Hugo Chavez memorial.

Petro is the first leftist president in Colombian history.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó posted on social media: “President Gustavo Petro: if instead of normalizing a dictatorship you want to contribute to a solution and the defense of Human Rights, you can join the demand for free and fair elections in Venezuela and the process to reach an agreement in Mexico.”