“THE Colombia guarantees the right of asylum and refuge,” reacted Gustavo Petro on the social network’s Twitter account.

On Monday, the vice-president of the PSUV, Diosdado Cabello, considered the “number two” of the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, had indicated at a press conference that he hoped that Bogotá would agree to extradite “a certain number Peoples”. , as well as the normalization of bilateral relations.

“We are waiting for things to settle down with Colombia, since an ambassador has already been appointed, and for the judicial system to start functioning. There are several people who are there that Venezuela is asking to be extradited, d be arrested and in Venezuela, for crimes committed against our country,” said Diosdado Cabello.

The vice-president of the PSUV explained that in Colombia “there are even murderers, thieves, protected there”, without giving details.

“They will surely be tried by Venezuelan justice, but also by Colombian justice. It’s all a question of political will,” he said.

The Venezuelan and Colombian press indicated that it was a request for the extradition of opponents of Maduro.

On July 28, Caracas and Bogotá announced that they had reached an agreement to resume bilateral relations, to reopen, as of August 7, the date of the inauguration of Gustavo Petro, the border between the two countries and to appoint ambassadors in the two capitals, respectively.

The announcement was made by Colombia’s new foreign minister, Álvaro Leyva Durán, in San Cristóbal, southwestern Venezuela, in a joint statement with his Venezuelan counterpart, Carlos Farias.

On August 8, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced via social media that Caracas would “immediately” restore military relations with neighboring Colombia, suspended since 2019, by order of President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela and Colombia share more than 2,000 kilometers of border which, according to local press, remains closed.

In February 2019, Nicolás Maduro severed diplomatic and political relations with Colombia, which he accuses of supporting the United States in a coup against the Venezuelan regime.

The break came after former Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused the United States and Colombia of violating the United Nations Charter by backing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó who on January 23 2019, publicly swore to assume interim president and declared that he assumed executive powers. of Maduro.

Since 2015, relations between Venezuela and Colombia have gone through several moments of tension.

That year, the Venezuelan government temporarily ordered the closure of the borders between the two countries, following clashes between Venezuelan security forces and armed civilians, whom Caracas accused of serving the former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, who condemned the charges.

In August 2017, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru supported the creation of the Group of Lima to allegedly find a peaceful solution to the political, economic and social problems in Venezuela.

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