Colombia’s leader visits Venezuela for key talks with acting President Delcy Rodríguez

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, on Friday welcomed Colombian President Gustavo Petro at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, their first meeting since the U.S. military seized former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from their home in January.

The leaders were expected to discuss an extensive bilateral agenda, including migration, defense, border security, industrial cooperation and trade.

Petro and Rodríguez were expected to meet last month at their shared border, but their respective governments abruptly canceled the meeting citing "force majeure," which they did not explain, and simply said it would take place at a later time.

Ahead of Friday's meeting, Petro announced that his delegation, which includes top military and police officials, will tackle border security with Rodríguez.

The focus remains on the Catatumbo region, where rival armed groups fight for territorial control and Petro stressed the necessity of "close collaboration on intelligence," warning that without it, "bombs land in the wrong places ... and end up killing civilians."

Colombia-Venezuela ties have long been on the rocks. Petro did not recognize Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president in the wake of the contested July 2024 elections that triggered protests, which sparked widespread repression. Still, he maintained diplomatic ties with Caracas.

Colombia's government has said that the Petro-Rodríguez meeting on Friday aims to "contribute to a resolution of Venezuela's political crisis."

However, it's unclear how this can be achieved.

Ronal Rodríguez Durán, a researcher at the Venezuela Observatory at the Universidad del Rosario, said Petro's leverage is limited regarding any potential mediation, given that his term ends in August. Future ties with Venezuela will likely also be influenced by who takes power next in Colombia.