Presidents Gustavo Petro of Colombia and Delcy Rodríguez of Venezuela announced agreements to bolster border security, revive trade, and advance energy integration during a meeting in Caracas on April 25. The leaders signed the acta of the III Meeting of the Neighborhood and Integration Commission, targeting illegal economies such as narcotrafficking and illicit mining.
At Caracas's Palacio de Miraflores, Petro and Rodríguez held bilateral meetings lasting about three hours, first private and then expanded with official delegations. They announced a joint agenda for border security, with Petro stressing the need to "configurar un esfuerzo común, coordinado para liberar a los pueblos de la frontera de las mafias", referring to narcotrafficking, illegal mining, and human trafficking. "La frontera no puede ser de nadie más que de los pueblos", he added, proposing military, police, and social actions.
Rodríguez highlighted the recovery of bilateral trade to 1.2 billion dollars last year after plummeting post-2019 border closure and reopening in 2022. The electrical and gas interconnections are "a un paso", enabling joint gas exports, the Venezuelan leader said, blaming energy issues in western Venezuela on sanctions.
Petro called for integration using "new modes of energy" to foster peace, contrasting with traditional energies linked to violence. Agreements also covered import substitution, boosting tourism, air connectivity, and social plans for vulnerable border populations.
Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto signed the final acta in the presence of the heads of state, formalizing commitments on security, trade, and regional integration.
