Venezuela and Colombia consolidate integration route in Caracas

This Friday, at the “Antonio José de Sucre” Yellow House, in Caracas, the 3rd Meeting of the Colombia-Venezuela Neighborhood and Integration Commission concluded.

The meeting, which brought together more than 90 senior officials from neighboring countries, marked a milestone in the normalization of bilateral relations, prioritizing concrete results for the well-being of both peoples.

In this regard, the Deputy Minister for Latin America of Venezuela, Mauricio Rodríguez, said that after this meeting “we can affirm that we are consolidating a transcendental step in the construction of a deeper, more mature bilateral relationship aimed at concrete results, which will have a positive impact on the daily lives of our people.”

“We have moved from dialogue to planning and from planning to coordinated action. Today we are not closing a cycle, we are opening a new phase to materialize what has been agreed,” he added.

He also announced the convening of a binational meeting between border governors and mayors, together with the chambers of commerce, to “land projects at the local level”, which will take place in the sister Republic of Colombia.

For her part, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Juana Castro Santamaría, assured that “the border is not a limit, but a living territory”, while detailing the technical road map reached.

He noted that among the most prominent agreements are:

In the area of Infrastructure and Connectivity: Negotiation of a binational instrument for the intervention of international bridges and the reactivation of cargo and passenger transport.

With regard to Energy: The reactivation of the electrical interconnection and advances in the rehabilitation of gas infrastructure were announced.

In Environmental Management: The Binational Technical Commission for the study of common hydrographic basins and protection of protected areas will be reactivated.

Security and Defense: Establishment of a joint diagnosis of “multi-crime” at the border and the appointment of military and police attachés to strengthen mutual trust.

While in Social Affairs: Joint protocols will be established in health (epidemiological surveillance), protection of the rights of children and adolescents, and cooperation in peace education.

Among the authorities present at the event are the Venezuelan ambassador to Colombia, Ramón Orlando Maniglia; and his Colombian counterpart accredited in Caracas, Milton Rengifo Hernández; as well as representatives of state institutions.