CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan and Colombian officials unexpectedly called off a scheduled summit between their nations’ leaders on Thursday, just one day before the highly awaited border meeting was set to take place.
The summit would have marked Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s inaugural official encounter with another Latin American head of state since taking office in January after a U.S. military action resulted in the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro. The agenda for Rodríguez and Colombian President Gustavo Petro included discussions on cross-border security concerns stemming from criminal organizations involved in narcotics trafficking, as well as exploring opportunities for Colombia to purchase Venezuelan natural gas.
According to a joint declaration issued through Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, both nations cited “force majeure” as the reason for postponing the meeting, though no additional details were provided about the circumstances. Officials stated the presidential summit will be rescheduled for a future date.
The declaration further noted that Petro’s invitation to Rodríguez remains open for the presidential discussions and emphasized both countries’ continued dedication “to strengthening trust, cooperation and bilateral relations.”
Just hours before the cancellation was announced Thursday, Petro’s administration revealed the Colombian president had spoken by telephone with U.S. President Donald Trump, during which Petro expressed his hopes for Trump’s “success” in his upcoming meeting with Rodríguez.
