International
Maduro and Petro meet for the fourth time in just a few months
March 24 |
The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia, Nicolás Maduro and Gustavo Petro, met on Thursday in Caracas where they addressed issues of economic, commercial, financial, political and cultural cooperation, according to official sources.
“Productive and warm working meeting with the President of the Republic of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. We set out to deepen the alliances between Venezuela and Colombia, and we are achieving it with union and commitment. Always welcome to this sister land!”, Maduro simply wrote on his Twitter account on Thursday night.
Shortly after, through the official account of the Presidency of Colombia, it was reported that the leaders discussed issues related to the “joint fight against drug trafficking, the opening of consulates and the Summit of countries of the region to be held within the framework of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO)”.
The meeting, in which several high-ranking officials participated, among them the Colombian Foreign Minister, Alvaro Leyva; the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez; the Colombian ambassador in Venezuela, Armando Benedetti, took place at the Aquiles Nazoa Cultural House, former presidential residence, and ended without a public statement.
Petro’s visit was scheduled for Monday, but was cancelled amid a corruption scandal in the state-owned oil industry, Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), for which several high-ranking public officials have been arrested.
Following the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in August last year, after Petro took office, the leaders have already held three bilateral meetings in Caracas and one at the Atanasio Girardot International Bridge, which links the state of Táchira with the Department of Norte de Santander.
On that occasion, in February of this year, they signed a partial scope agreement of a commercial nature and Petro said he hoped that the bridges “will be filled with trade” and “people” on both sides of the border.
Consulted by Voice of America, Juan Francisco Contreras, internationalist and president of the College of Internationalists of Venezuela (CODEIV), exposes that the absence of details of the agenda generates “many speculations” and considers that one of the topics that has caused Petro’s frequent visits to Caracas are the peace negotiations of his government with the National Liberation Army (ELN).
For the internationalist with studies in security and defense, both Venezuela and Colombia are interested in the demobilization of the groups that are “outside the law on both sides of the border”.
However, he considers that there is a “rush” on the part of Petro to achieve results and believes that the priority should focus on establishing “objectives and guidelines” so that the process “does not end badly” as in the case of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
In his opinion, Colombia is also interested in a democratic solution to the Venezuelan political crisis, which, he believes, would allow the return of many Venezuelans in the neighboring country.
Contreras does not see, so far, that there has been a real “normalization” in trade relations.
“The way in which the economic policy has been designed in our country has affected Venezuelan businessmen, there is practically no credit, the transportation issue is very complicated, there are many situations that make our businessmen to be in difficult conditions to be able to compete with other businessmen. Changes must be made so that our businessmen can be competitive”, he explains.
In 2015, after a diplomatic crisis with the Colombian government, Maduro ordered to close the passage of vehicles on the border with Colombia and in 2018 the Venezuelan government expelled consular officials.
Relations between Maduro and former President Iván Duque, who recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela, were marked by constant mutual accusations, especially since 2019 when humanitarian aid was attempted to enter through the border.
International
One Dead, Three Injured in Shooting at Cree Nation in Saskatchewan
One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting reported early Tuesday in the Big Island Lake Cree Nation, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, according to local media.
Police said they were alerted to the incident in a remote area located approximately 392 kilometers northwest of the city of Saskatoon. Authorities issued a dangerous persons alert for two suspects, who were described as armed.
Saskatchewan police urged residents to seek shelter immediately, lock their doors, and avoid the area while the situation remains under investigation. Officers are working to determine whether the shooting was a targeted attack or a random act of violence.
As a precautionary measure, seven health-care facilities in the surrounding area were placed under lockdown, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in a post on X.
International
Mexico’s President Visits Victims After Train Derailment Kills 13 in Oaxaca
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum visited on Monday the victims injured in a train accident that left 13 people dead in the southern state of Oaxaca and announced financial assistance for those affected by the derailment of the Interoceanic Train, which was inaugurated in 2023.
The train, carrying 241 passengers and nine crew members, derailed on Sunday while traveling along the Interoceanic Corridor, a major infrastructure project that connects the Pacific coast with the Gulf of Mexico across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The corridor was one of the flagship initiatives of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration (2018–2024).
Sheinbaum visited three hospitals in the neighboring towns of Tehuantepec and Salina Cruz, where around 20 injured passengers remain hospitalized. She also went to a funeral home to accompany the families of those who lost their lives in the accident.
According to Mexico’s Navy Secretary, Raymundo Morales, the accident occurred when one of the locomotives derailed, causing all four railcars to leave the tracks.
International
Six killed, including baby, in armed attack near tourist beach in Ecuador
Six people, including a baby girl about two years old, were killed on Sunday in an armed attack near a tourist beach in southwestern Ecuador, police said. The shooting, carried out with rifles, also left three people wounded.
The incident took place in the coastal town of Puerto López, in the province of Manabí, a popular tourist destination known for whale watching. The attack occurred amid a surge of violence over the weekend that left at least nine people dead nationwide, according to local media reports.
“There are six fatalities and three injured,” Colonel William Acurio, the local police commander, told reporters on Sunday. He confirmed that one of the victims was a baby “approximately two years old.”
Authorities have not released further details about the motive behind the attack or whether arrests have been made.
One Dead, Three Injured in Shooting at Cree Nation in Saskatchewan
Mexico’s President Visits Victims After Train Derailment Kills 13 in Oaxaca
Six killed, including baby, in armed attack near tourist beach in Ecuador
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