After more than three years of severed relations, Venezuela and Colombia announced on Thursday that they will exchange ambassadors, following the rise to power of new leftist Colombian President Gustavo Petro. In Caracas, President Nicolás Maduro stated that former Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia had submitted his credentials to the Colombian government and “will soon be in Bogotá” to assume the role of ambassador. For his part, Petro said in a video, “In response to the Venezuelan government’s appointment of the ambassador responsible for normalizing relations between the two countries, I have decided to appoint Armando Benedetti as Colombia’s ambassador to Venezuela.”
Caracas cut diplomatic ties with Bogotá in 2019 when former right-wing Colombian President Iván Duque did not recognize Maduro's reelection and instead supported opposition leader Juan Guaidó declaring himself interim president of Venezuela. In addition to the exchange of ambassadors, the normalization process between the two countries will include the full reopening of their shared border, as Caracas and Bogotá will also restore their military relations. Maduro stated, “We will continue to move forward step by step and at a steady pace toward the reconstruction of our political, diplomatic, and trade relations.” Petro, who is the first leftist president in Colombian history, elected on June 19, had announced during his election campaign that he would restore diplomatic relations with Venezuela as soon as he took office on August 7.
