At a binational tourism meeting between Colombia and Venezuela, the president of the latter country, Nicolás Maduro, spoke of his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, whom he described as a good man and emphasized that his government does not interfere in Colombian politics.
>>>Maduro regime claims to have located Edmundo González
“Sometimes I would like to help more and I always tell President Petro when we talk (that) I would like to help more to accelerate the negotiation processes and signing of the peace agreements, where Venezuela plays a stellar role, silently, because you You will never see me testifying, nor will you ever see my foreign minister testifying, on the internal affairs of Colombia.“, Nicolás Maduro said this Thursday, September 5, 2024.
Trade between Venezuela and Colombia has grown 56% in 2024, according to Maduro
Trade between Venezuela and Colombia increased by 56% in the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period last year, the Venezuelan president said without specifying the amounts for both periods.
He also noted that, according to official projections, bilateral trade will exceed $1 billion this year, which means a growth of almost “800%” since, he said, “relations of respect between the two States” were normalized in 2022.
“Venezuela-Colombia binational trade continues to grow… and it is sustainable, that will continue to grow, and I am sure that in 2025 we will take it to 2 billion“Maduro said during a meeting between authorities and businessmen from both countries, broadcast by the state channel VTV.
The president recalled that, in “the times of Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010)”, trade was around 10 billion dollars, but then, when “the sterile confrontations” between the two nations came, that sum fell to 200 million dollars, although he did not specify the period.
The two neighboring countries resumed diplomatic relations, which were broken in 2019, after President Gustavo Petro came to power in Colombia in August 2022, a process that advanced with the reopening of the border and the reactivation of air connections.
Since then, there have been meetings between Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart, as well as between officials of the respective governments, and numerous cooperation agreements have been signed, with special emphasis on the reactivation of bilateral trade and on projects related to the economy.
On Thursday, Maduro reiterated his proposal to create a “large economic and industrial zone” that would offer investment opportunities on the “immense border” between the Venezuelan state of Táchira and the Colombian department of Norte de Santander.
>>>Nicolás Maduro brings forward Christmas in Venezuela to October 1
Source: https://www.noticiascaracol.com/mundo/maduro-apunto-que-no-se-mete-en-la-politica-colombiana-y-califico-a-petro-como-buen-hombre-rg10
